Summer Skies and Bright Blue Eyes
by Lethal-LadyD
Summary: Emma Swan is the wild child who has just graduated high school and is determined to make her last summer at home one to remember. But when her brother, David, comes home from college and brings with him a handsome classmate in need of a room, Emma finds herself in a compromising position between flirtatious summer friends and something much more real. (Rated M for later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

The house seemed somewhat empty without David. Emma found herself lazing about by herself, spending most of her time by the lake or in the mountains, completely alone or with their family dog. Today she was sitting on the front porch on their family's swinging bench, listening to the silence and the rustle of the trees with her eyes closed and her moth a bit open, half asleep. Every minute or two the bench would squeak loudly when it hit that sweet spot like a timer going off forcing Emma's eyes open. It was too hot out to sleep anyways, which was unusual for the middle of May in New Hampshire but the warm weather was welcome by Emma and her parents. They had had a rough winter with snowstorms every couple of weeks that kept the whole family cooped up inside playing board games and reading books. Emma sighed, trying to forget the immense amounts of time she was forced to spend with her parents. They always told her that she was lucky to have parents at all but at the moment she could use the peace and quiet away from their nagging voices. She took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly, forcing her body to relax on the painted wooden bench, her head lying flat against the side, one leg hanging off and the other against the back of the bench.

The sun felt good on her bare legs and her already pink cheeks. Her hair however was long and heavy and she had to keep blowing it out of her face to keep herself cool. She usually loved her long blonde locks, but recently they had become nothing more then a burden, adding unnecessary weight to her tiny 18 year old frame. But today, even that couldn't bring down her mood. Today, her brother David came home from Ireland. He was two years older then her and had decided to do a year abroad, leaving Emma alone with no one to talk to but a couple of close friends and their dog Hank.

Emma looked down at her phone, wanting more then anything for it to be 12 yet so they could go pick him up from the airport. Normally, she wouldn't have been so excited to see David. After all, he was always the overprotective type. He didn't like her partying or going crazy but somehow things just didn't feel right without him yelling at her. Not that their parents didn't yell at her, because Eva and Leopold were never one's to hold back, but they weren't as fun to get back at as her brother was. They didn't find her pranks as funny.

"EMMA!" Her mother screamed from inside.

"Yeah?"

"Are you dressed yet? We're leaving in 20 minutes!"

"Ughhhhhh," Emma grumbled, looking down at her stained cloth shorts and white v-neck. She looked rather homeless, but figured it would do.

"I'm dressed!" Emma yelled back, it would be nice to see David but that didn't mean he deserved her nice clothing. Emma heard the back door swinging open before she saw her mother.

"Oh Emma put on something nicer then that!" Eva yelled, looking annoyingly at Emma's shorts

"It's hotttt and I'm sweaty! It's just David!" Emma fought back.

"And a guest! He has a friend from school that he's bringing back for the summer… Jesus Emma don't you ever listen to anything I say?"

"Yeah David's bringing a girlfriend back for the summer, got it," Emma rolled her eyes, her brother always had a girlfriend, not that they ever lasted long. She thinks that he just uses them as stepping stones while he waited for the right girl to come along.

"Noo, he's bringing a guy. And he's never been to the states before so be nice and help him get adjusted."

"Ohhhh a guy huh?" Emma taunted, wiggling her eyebrows mischievously at her mother.

"Oh god… I'm done. Just wear what you want we're leaving soon," Eva closed her eyes flinging her arms up in surrender. Emma giggled. She was almost positive that her parents thought she was a psychopath but she didn't really care. Living in Gilford, NH where everyone seemed to be so relaxed and at ease, Emma couldn't keep herself still. Lucky for her, living on lake Winnipesaukee meant she could let out her wild spirit on the family boat or in the mountains and cliffs around them. She smiled; this Friday would be David's first Friday night fire since he'd left, which meant getting drunk with every other teenager in this town and having a fire on one of the islands in the middle of the night. Hopefully his friend was as crazy as they were. Not that it mattered much, He was nothing more than a small detail in her summer.

"Emma get in the car! It's time to go!" Eva screamed, opening the back door and letting Hank outside so that he would jump on Emma, making sure she actually got up.

"Okay! Ooph. Down Hank! Down!" Emma laughed, the slobbery tongue of her austrailian shepard eagerly licking at her face, his tail wagging in excitement. "I'm coming I'm coming," Emma added, brushing her hand through Hank's fur and scratching the back of his ears, making him nuzzle farther into her hand.

"Are you excited boy?" She teased, watching Hank's tail wag furiously, "Yeahhh you areee! David's coming home!" She yelled, letting Hank back into the house before heading around to the front, where her parents were waiting.

Usually they brought Hank everywhere they went, but they had gotten more then one warning at the airport for bringing Hank in there, it was the unfortunate rules they had to follow. David would just have to wait until he got home to see him.

"I'll be back I promise!" Emma yelled through the screen door, looking down at her dog who was watching her walk away, his head cocked to the side. She hated leaving him alone but there was no time for that argument today.

"You're happy this morning," Emma remarked, walking up to her father who was beaming from the side of the sedan, his bald spot practically reflecting light at her and his otherwise long, gray, curly hair hanging unbrushed from the side of his head like a mad scientist. He overall looked like a total dad with his cargo shorts and a shirt Emma was pretty sure he stole from a bowling alley.

"Can't a man be excited to see his kids?" Leopold smiled, holding his arms out to Emma who tried to, and failed, to escape from his tight hug.

"Ugh, get off! I'm not 12," Emma grumbled.

"You'll always be 12 to me," Her dad taunted, giving her a kiss on the top of her head for the mere purpose of pissing her off more. "You're still my little princess," He said in the best baby talk he could.

"I hate you all," Emma replied sarcastically, pushing herself away from her laughing father.

"Stop it you two. Let's get in the car, we're going to be late at this point! Oh Emma you really couldn't change your outfit?!" Eva yelled out, running out of the house in a pair of heels, a skirt, and her nicest top. Emma and her father exchanged a look of confusion.

"Mom… We're going to the airport… not a dinner party," Emma mocked, encouraged by her father who was laughing silently next to her.

"Oh hush! You too just look for ways to pick on me!" Her mother huffed, pushing herself into the car. Leopold rolled his eyes at Emma, her mother tended to be a tad overdramatic at times.

"We're sorry," They said together, all climbing into the car and giving Eva the satisfaction of winning the fight. Emma tuned her parents out after that, sticking a pair of headphones in and playing her favorite playlist where Florence + the Machine blasted happily into her ears. She rolled the windows down and relaxed her arm onto the window sill, watching her little house disappear as they drove down the dirt road to the main street.

* * *

The airport was packed, people filing in from all edges of the place, all talking loudly and carrying little children around as they screamed bloody murder. Emma tried her best not to look at them with disgust but failed miserably. New Hampshire had become the place to be in the summer, filled with lakes and beaches and outdoor fun that had attracted more then just New Englander's. The problem was that not everyone who lived here wanted those tourists. And then there was Emma's dad.

"Look at all these paying customers!" Leopold bellowed, a huge grin sliding across his face. Eva smiled at him with encouragement. "Business will be booming!" He laughed, resting his hands on his hips in satisfaction. As far back as Emma could remember her family had owned a little restaurant in the downtown area called Granny's that was started by her grandmother. Now that her grandmother had passed away, it was her father's turn to run the business and he had a little too much excitement about the place. Emma smiled though, she really did love it when the place was busy. She had worked there all her life and even now, she never felt more at home then when she was serving up breakfast on a Saturday morning at her families little neck of the woods.

"This is going to be a good summer for business," Her father said, looking over to Emma, "I don't know what I'm going to do at the restaurant without you, too."

"Dad I'm going to Plymouth State," Emma laughed, "It's like a half hour away from the house. I'll be home to work whenever you need me."

"I can't believe you've already finished high school," Her mother added, shaking her head and looking sadly at her little girl.

"Oh jeez. I'll practically be down the street! You two need to get a grip," Emma laughed. She didn't want to think about college. She wasn't ready quite yet to let go of her childhood, which was why this summer was so important. It just had to be special and Emma was determined to make it happen.

"OH this is David's plane! Where is he?!" Eva yelled, looking frantically around at all the people walking out of the terminal. Emma looked too, hoping to see that familiar mop of blonde hair.

"David!" She screamed, waving above her head, her mom joining in with her to attract his attention. Emma swears she saw the eye roll before she even saw his face. The smiling, 21 year old wove his way through the crowd to meet his family. His hair shorter then Emma remembered it but it looked nice on him, more grown up.

"Hey sis," He smiled at her, holding a hand out for a handshake but Emma swatted it away, instead jumping on him, wrapping him in a tight bear hug and hearing him cry out in surprise, dropping his bags to the ground to hold her up.

"I don't know why I expected you to have grown up at all," He laughed, wheezing a little to keep her from falling.

"And I don't know why I expect you to be able to hold me up," Emma through back at him, letting her legs hit the floor again, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," David smiled back at her.

"Alright that's enough love for me… Ooph!" Emma said, backing away from David and backing right up into someone else, "OH I'm sorry!" Emma said, turning to face whoever she had just hit.

"That's quite all right, lass," A deep Irish voice responded. Emma looked up to find the source of the voice to find Bright blue eyes meeting hers, a dark brown mess of hair and perfectly unperfect stubble lining a strong chin. Emma felt her jaw starting to drop but caught herself, simply smiling at him and shrugging in apology.

"Oh everyone, this is Killian, my roommate from Ireland. He's the one that'll be staying with us this summer," David said, moving to stand next to Killian and giving him a pat on the back. Killian gave a little wave to the family, his eyes meeting Emma's only for a fraction of a second longer before saying hello to David's parents.

"Nice outfit," David commented, letting their parents tackle Killian with questions about his stay.

"Yeah I'm suddenly very much regretting this decision," Emma said, trying to fix her hair as quickly as she could without acting obvious. The man in front of her was drop dead gorgeous and she couldn't help but feel rather stood up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, David's sister," Killian said holding out a hand to her.

"It's Emma… I don't usually look this awful… or bump into people at airports," Emma blurted out, reaching out a hand to him in return. He just smiled at her in response.

"I think you look lovely. I consider myself lucky that a woman such as yourself would even bump into a man like me," He smirked at her, making her go weak at the knees.

"Well anytime you need a good shove," Emma laughed, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Emma!" Her parents shot at her, making her blush. She knew she was making an idiot of herself. Killian didn't seem to mind though, just laughing back at her and turning back to her parents.

"Dibs," Emma whispered to David as soon as Killian had turned his back.

"Don't you dare. He's not here to play footsie with my psycho little sister," David shot at her.

"Ughhh but… fine," Emma whispered back, staring at Killian as he chatted with her parents, "But noo promises," She added under her breath, catching Killian's eye. He was looking at her quite a lot.

"Well I've already talked to him too," David smiled at her, drawing her attention away from the stunning specimen before her, "So nothing happens. Got it?"

"Got it," Emma mumbled, a little disappointed but it wasn't totally unexpected. She would be fine being just friends. Besides, it was only going to be one summer, how hard could it be?

* * *

Emma whispered apologies, her body shoved against Killian's in the back of the sedan, with her brother on the other side, her parents in the front, and piles on piles of bags surrounding them on all sides. Her bare legs, met with his tight jeans, rubbing against him with the movement of the car. She could barely tell where her own white v-neck ended and his started. Instead she just sat in a tiny spot with her hair flying wildly around the car with the windows open.

"I'm so sorry!" Emma muttered again, trying to control her hair.

"It's okay Emma," Killian laughed, pulling a couple of strands off of him. She blushed, she looked like such a child in front of him. Thankfully her mother interrupted her apologies.

"So David! We want to hear all about your trip! Tell us everything," Eva beamed, turning back around to face the three teenagers.

"It was uh…. quite the adventure," David laughed, turning to Killian for help.

"He fit right in," Killian nodded, patting David on the back.

"Lots of school work and studying," David nodded, "Some travelling."

"And bars," Killian mumbled but David hit him in the arm, making him shut up.

"Anyways I missed Emma's senior year! How was that?" David asked, doing his best to turn to face Emma and take everyone's eyes off of himself, "How's the boyfriend?"

"Over and done with," Emma said simply.

"Which one? Senior year or Neal?" David asked again. Killian looked over too, waiting for Emma to answer.

"Both," She said simply, ignoring both David and Killian and turning instead towards the window. This was not the time or place to have that conversation. After all, David had never liked Neal and even warned Emma multiple times about him and when he left her for another girl, Emma couldn't help but feel like David may have been right all along. David seemed to pick up that Emma was done talking though and stopped the conversation, letting the family sit in silence as they pulled up to the house.

"Welcome home!" Leopold yelled from the front, obliviously unaware of the awkward tension forming in the backseat.

"Thank god," David mumbled, smiling happily at his home.

"Hank is waiting for you inside," Emma smiled at him.

"Hankkkk," David said excitedly, pushing open the car door so that he could run up to the house. Emma took her time, trying to move the bags so that she could get out and still help carry them in. She heard the door opening and barks of excitement as Hank and David reunited.

"You're beautiful," Killian said to Emma as she tried to pull bags out of the car.

"I'm sorry what?" Emma asked, turning her attention to him.

"Uh, your dog. He's a beautiful dog," He smirked, helping her pull the rest of the bags out of the car. Emma eyed him suspiciously.

"Yeah. One beautiful ass DOG," Emma said, accentuating the last word. His eyes flicked back to hers, his eyebrows raised.

"Killian, come on!" David yelled, drawing his attention away from her.

"Coming," Killian said back, throwing a couple of bags over his back and giving Emma a little wink before following David inside. Emma stood still, blinking, watching him walk away from her.

"What just happened?" Emma asked herself, shaking her head and turning back to the car to grab the last of the bags. He's just a minor detail, She told herself, those blue eyes stuck into her brain like glue. Emma sighed, this was going to be more difficult then she thought.

* * *

Killian followed David upstairs to the farthest room on the right, passing a couple rooms he assumed to be David's and Emma's and on the other side of the hallway, another room which he assumed to be their parents.

"Hope this is okay," David said, opening the door and gesturing Killian inside.

"Thanks, mate. This looks perfect," Killian answered, dropping his bags off on the bed. He looked at David, scratching awkwardly at the back of his head. "So…," Killian started.

"What?" David asked, looking annoyed already.

"I want you to know that I heard you when you said not to look at your sis, mate, but you did not tell me that THAT was your sister," Killian laughed, pushing his hands through his hair and shaking his head. David just looked at him, his arms crossed across his chest.

"Look. She's kind of a wild child and she tends to throw herself at guys and end up alone and with a broken heart. So please, for me, if she tries anything, can you just keep it in your pants for once?" David asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I always keep it in my pants," Killian joked, looking up to David's serious face, "Yeah yeah. I won't try anything," He added. David seemed to relax after that, nodding in thanks.

"Thanks man," He said, sitting down at the desk across from Killian's temporary bed.

"But she's really hot though. Just so you know," Killian laughed.

"Yup, I'm leaving," David said, shaking his head and getting up to leave, "Take some time to get readjusted okay?"

Killian nodded to David, still chuckling a little as he watched him leave. He waited until the door was closed before he lay back on the bed. He was entirely too exhausted to move. The flight had been long and brutal and when he had stepped outside into the humidity of New Hampshire, he had instantly felt a million miles away from home. He was grateful for David's offer to come home with him for the summer though. He thought back to how awful a year he had had with his girlfriend Milah leaving him and his home life turning to shreds before his eyes. He was grateful for the escape.

He sighed, looking out the window to the lake. It was beautiful here. The water bounced happily against the shore, the trees opening up to clear skies and a warm sun. He could see a tiny blonde girl running across the grass, a dog on her tracks. She was laughing, throwing a ball across the yard and watching their dog fetch it. More like _She_ was beautiful here, Killian thought to himself, watching her from the window. He sighed, he would only be here for a couple months but that was more then enough time to find another girl besides his best friend's sister to use as a rebound. Knowing heartbreak first hand, he wasn't about to put Emma into that scenario. Not when he owed his life to her brother, and recognized his own heartbreak in Emma's face when David asked her about her ex. No, he wouldn't do that. No matter how hot she was. She was just another girl, Killian told himself.

Moving away from the window, he collapsed his head back down on the pillows, his body curling up. He was too exhausted to think anymore. Too exhausted to think about the smell of Emma's hair in the car, or how the heat from her body felt against his own, or the sassy little remarks she gave him when he made stupid comments. He smiled, no, he would never be too tired to forget that.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thank you guys so much for following and favoriting this story! I'm already so in love with it and I think it will turn out pretty good! For all of you who know my stories, my chapters usually only range between 2,000 words and 4,000 words but this chapter reached 8,000 because I just couldn't stop writing so enjoy! I hope you guys like it._

* * *

It had been 3 days since David and Killian arrived back in the States and they seemed to have finally adjusted to the time change. Unfortunately, Killian still hadn't managed to stay up past 9 pm without passing out on the couch or practically falling asleep in his chair, to which Emma found hilarious and used to torture him every chance she got. But tonight, they would all be staying up because it was the first fire Friday since Emma's graduation, which meant lots of underage drinking, loud teenagers, and of course, a huge bonfire on one of the islands.

"Rattlesnake," Emma whispered to David, walking up to the breakfast table where her mom had piled chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and eggs onto everyone's plate. She was reading her phone, where a group message had begun for tonight's plans. One of the guys in the group had finally spilled the location, causing uproar from half the group and excitement and loud comments from the other half.

"Figures," David laughed, stuffing his face with more pancakes while Emma sat down next to him and across from Killian.

"I know. Guess 3 years of getting caught by police just isn't enough warning to pick a new island," Emma laughed, looking up at Killian who just looked confused.

"Rattlesnake Island is where the fire is tonight," Emma said, answering Killian's unasked question, "It's gonna be crazy," she added, biting her tongue between her teeth in excitement.

"Ah," He nodded, finally understanding what they were talking about, "have fun with that," He said, turning nonchalantly back to his food.

"Aw, he thinks he's not coming," Emma said in a baby voice, resting her chin on her hands and turning to David who gave her the same face back.

"He's still new," David shrugged, trying not to laugh.

"What? No no no! I can't even stay up past 9 and 'Ms. Know it all' never lets me forget it," Killian argued, nudging Emma's arm as she ate, making her give him a death glare.

"It's not my fault you're an old grandpa," Emma whispered back, raising her eyebrows at him but going back to her food, trying to tune him out.

"At least I'm considered a legal adult," Killian taunted back, biting into a strip of bacon to try to hide his smirk. Emma felt her cheeks getting hot under his gaze and she dismissively turned away from him, not daring to look at Killian and view his stupid smug face eyeing her back.

"At least I still know how to have fun," Emma mumbled back after a couple of seconds. She heard Killian put his fork down on the table forcefully, obviously a little annoyed at her comebacks.

"Trust me love, I know how to have fun," He said finally, sighing but continuing, "Fuck it. Fine I'll come tonight okay?"

Emma's mouth opened wide in a big grin, her hands coming up in a triumphant stance until she heard the door opening.

"Shit," Emma laughed, sitting back down quickly and giggling as her mother walked in.

"Who's coming for what?" Eva asked, walking in from the porch where her and her father must have been sitting, enjoying the nice morning outside.

"Uhhh Killian, for a boat ride," David said quickly, forcing Emma to hide a smile. He was 21 now, and was allowed to do what he wanted, but they all knew Emma wouldn't be allowed to go if her parents knew where they were really going. David's answer seemed to suffice though, as Eva shrugged happily, continuing on into the kitchen to give Hank his breakfast.

"Well then, I'll see you boys tonight," Emma smirked, winking at Killian before standing up and turning to leave. She felt confident that she had thoroughly wound Killian up but then something rooted her to her spot, a warm hand had reached out for her.

She felt Killian's hand on her arm before she could fully leave the table and she turned to face him, looking questioningly at the rough hand around her bicep. David, too, stopped eating, eyeing Killian's movement.

"Uh sorry," Killian said, quickly removing his hand from her skin, "Uh, just be careful tonight okay? I hear you can be kind of crazy… I don't want to babysit." Emma felt her mouth fall open a little bit. She eyed where he had touched her, surprised but not unpleased. IF only he had a better reason for it. She eyed him back, ignoring David's questioning look. "Thanks dad, but I think I can take care of myself," Emma said, her skin tingling where he had touched her, her blood pulsing. She turned to leave the room, a little smile playing across her cheeks.

* * *

It had been hours since breakfast and Killian still didn't know what made him reach for her. It was like a reflex forcing him to touch her before he even knew what he was doing. Her skin had felt so soft and smooth against his rough hands. "Don't think about it," He growled to himself, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his palm. He was sitting outside, alone, having escaped the scene of stupidity where he had left David with a look on his face that read "I know what you're doing".

He sighed and sat up. His feet were resting on the stairs down to the backyard, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands rubbing against each other. He looked at peace except that his hands seemed to be shifting nervously and his forehead creased in the center like someone who had just been caught doing something wrong. Killian couldn't help it though, he was on edge. It was clear that Emma was going to be a flirt with him, her eyes always daring him to make a move. Unfortunately, it turned out to be harder then Killian thought not to give in to temptation.

He couldn't get the image of her out of his head, the way her eyes had looked down at his hands or how they lit up at his touch. She had even winked at him, like she knew exactly how to pull at his strings like a puppeteer, using her skills to somehow get him to agree to come tonight. _Tonight,_ Killian thought to himself. He didn't even want to think about it. All he could do was hope that Emma would be too preoccupied to bother with her brother's friends. _Probably too preoccupied with other guys,_ Killian thought feeling himself getting annoyed. "Oh boy," He grunted to himself, he just hoped he had some self-control left in him.

* * *

Emma could feel herself losing self-control. She looked down at all of the outfits laid out on her bedspread, her hands on her lips.

"Emma… for the love of god. Pick something," Ruby whined, laying on Emma's floor while throwing a bouncy ball above her head. Emma looked down at her annoyed. Ruby looked perfect, even from this angle, her long dark hair and red streaks matching perfectly with her dark eyes and bright red lips. Her hair was teased on the top, giving her a badass style to match her ripped skinny jeans, booties, and black lacey top.

Emma looked down at her own outfit, which included sweatpants and a paint covered t-shirt. "Hm… yeah. We're going to be here awhile," Emma said, looking at Ruby with an exaggerated apology look on her face.

"I don't understand. Are you dressing up because Neal might be there?" Ruby asked, sitting up, trying to read Emma's face.

"No," Emma said plainly.

"Is there another guy?" She asked.

 _Yes,_ Emma thought. "No," She said back, turning back to the outfits.

"Oh my god there is!"

"No there isn't…. You were right this is about Neal," Emma lied, quickly regretting her decision to keep the truth from her friend but it had only been 3 days since she had even met Killian. It was just a crush.

"Oh Emma…," Ruby said sadly. Emma didn't bother to look at her. She already knew what face she was giving her. It was the face everyone gave her when she brought up Neal: pity.

"I just want him to know I'm back and he means nothing to me," Emma said, holding herself with composure. She was sick of the pity.

"Alright alright I can fucks with that," Ruby smirked, standing up and joining Emma above her bed, eyeing the outfits, "Well we know one thing," She laughed, reaching for an article of clothing, "You look hot as fuck in a red leather jacket."

Emma shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Yeah I do," She laughed, grabbing at the jacket and reaching for a white tank top that showed off her strong shoulders and a pair of jeans that she knew from experience drove men mad.

Ruby raised her eyebrows at the jeans.

"What? I can't tease him?" Emma smirked.

"Please do," Ruby laughed, nodding in approval, "We've got 2 hours to kill soo… Shots?"

"My parents are down the hall," Emma whispered, looking at Ruby with disbelief, anger all over her face. Ruby looked back confused.

"I'm fucking with you. Yeah let's take shots," Emma laughed instantly calming Ruby.

She felt lucky to have Ruby in her life. After all, Ruby seemed to be the only girl in this town who didn't think Emma was too much to handle. Emma smiled at her friend. She didn't care what anyone else thought about her anyways. She was her own savior and she didn't need any guy telling her that she wasn't enough.

Her mind wandered back to her relationship with Neal. The way he had called her damaged and fucked up. It had stung at the time, but Emma wasn't one to hold on to her past. Not when she could look forward to a better future. _Hopefully,_ Emma thought, shaking her head away from the thoughts of Neal.

"Cheers," Ruby grinned, handing Emma a shot of rum.

"Cheers," Emma repeated, clinking her glass with Ruby's before spilling the liquid down her throat, letting the alcohol burn her mouth. She nodded in approval, clinking her glass back down on the table.

"Another."

* * *

"Don't fall asleep. Emma will kill me and then you and then me again if we don't actually keep you up past 11," David laughed, looking at his watch, which read 10:30. Killian felt his eyes drooping anyways. Him and David were sitting outside by the beach, relaxing. David had tried to keep Killian from dozing off by having a calm day, mostly made of lazing about the backyard playing Frisbee, cooking up some burgers on the grill for lunch, and laying on the beach drinking some beers and talking about some of their favorite memories from Ireland, to which Killian was grateful. His stomach already hurt from laughing so much.

"Remember when you got so drunk that you pulled the sword off the wall and tried to attack me with it?" Killian laughed, leaning again the sand dunes.

"I thought you were a dragon," David laughed back, "You kept roaring at me!"

"I was screaming for help!" Killian shouted, his mouth falling open. He couldn't believe he was being blamed for that. Honestly, if David hadn't been his only friend here he would have smacked him.

"You know, one time as a kid, me and Emma started wrestling and she got so mad that I was winning that she hit me in the chin with a rock," David laughed a little, moving his finger to outline the little scar on his face from the accident. Killian nodded impressively at the scar.

"One time my brother Liam almost took my hand off," Killian said back, nodding in understanding, "He rolled over my wrist on ice skates," He added, pulling his sleeve back to reveal a long scar etched across the top of his hand.

"Hm… you win," David shivered, looking at the scar with disdain.

"I don't know, mate. I wouldn't have minded wrestling with Emma," Killian joked, closing his eyes and covering his face to prepare for David's oncoming punch.

"Yeah. You say that now. I've seen Emma punch a girl in the face for calling her weak," David said back, nodding at Killian's stunned face, "I'm surprised she didn't take your hand off this morning," David added, eyeing Killian with the look of understanding. He knew why Killian had reached for her. Killian silently thanked him for not screaming at him but the space between them had suddenly felt uncomfortable, unspoken judgement spearing from David's eyes.

"So where is Emma anyways? I haven't seen her all day," Killian asked, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Well since we're going out tonight, I'm sure she is blasted at the moment and with her just as crazy, if not crazier friend, Ruby," David said, rolling his eyes.

"Ruby?" Killian asked. It was a good thing. Maybe there would be a distraction from Emma.

"Yeah. You'll like her she's kind of a fox. Maybe you guys will actually hit it off since she's looking for the same thing as you," David nudged Killian.

"Yeah you mean a distraction from my problems?" Killian laughed ironically, rolling his eyes.

"Milah isn't here. You deserve to move on, man," David said, looking down at Killian with a face of pity. Killian hated that expression. He got it constantly. He could picture the faces that were made when his father left him as a child, or when his older brother decided to join the army and left Killian behind with nothing but a few notes every year and a phone call when possible. Things never truly seemed to workout the way he'd hoped they would. And then Milah had left, leaving the cherry on the top of a miserable life.

"I've always been okay on my own," Killian said, nodding to David. He didn't know if he was trying to convince his friend or himself but it made him feel better regardless.

"Give her a chance," David replied, staring him down until Killian agreed. He wasn't sure if David even cared if he gave Ruby a chance. He laughed to himself, knowing that this was probably just David's way of trying to keep him off his little sister.

They sat in silence for a while, David going through emails on his phone and Killian trying to keep himself awake. He found the stars to be one thing that helped to keep him up, they were so beautiful to see. "Wow," Killian smiled to himself, laying back in the sand and just watching the sky move around him.

"Wow is right," David said, but he wasn't facing the sky. He was facing behind them, watching the two beautiful women walking up to them, "Guess we're leaving now," David added, suddenly hopping up and waving to the two girls before running down to the boat to get it started.

"Hey guys," Ruby smiled, waving to the two of them. David had been right, Ruby was hot, and Killian appreciated the effort David was making to get them together. Maybe he could make it through the night without Emma.

But then Emma walked out from the shadows to stand next to Ruby, smiling at the three of them. _Fuck_ , Killian thought, having to physically keep his mouth from dropping open. She had curled her hair, letting the ringlets tumble down her back like a waterfall. And those jeans. Killian tried to look back at Ruby to keep his eyes from staring at her butt in that pair of denim. Then again, maybe he wouldn't be able to get through the night without her.

"You must be Killian," Ruby said while holding out a hand, waiting for him to stand up and give her a proper greeting.

"Oh sorry, yeah. You must be Ruby," Killian replied, standing and brushing sand off of his tight jeans before offering her his hand, "David's been telling me about you."

"All bad things I hope," Ruby replied slyly, tightening her grip on Killian's hand before slipping hers away.

"Yes well, I hear you're a bit of a fox," Killian laughed, giving in to her flirtatious approach.

"I prefer wolf," Ruby corrected him, "After all whenever the moon's out, so am I." Killian smiled at her. She reminded him of Emma. She was spunky and confident. He liked her already. But he knew he only liked her because she reminded him of someone else. He made a move to answer Ruby, his mouth opening only slightly before he stopped, feeling Emma approaching them, watching them wearily. Ruby smiled as she walked up, blissfully unaware of Emma's look of annoyance. Killian tried not to smirk. _Was she jealous?_

"Emma, I know you said he was Irish but you never said he was hot," Ruby laughed. She was clearly a little intoxicated and maybe saying more then she meant to but Killian just laughed lightly, he could tell she wasn't one to have much of a filter even when she was sober.

"Eh, he's okay," Emma said curtly, giving Killian a look and ignoring the little pout he gave her when she said it.

"Whatever you say, love," Killian whispered, wrapping one hand around Emma's waist in a joking manner. Emma's eyes widened at his touch.

"I think you're the only who thinks we're hot," Emma smirked, meeting Ruby's gaze and quickly removing herself from Killian's grasp.

"Maybe you're right," He replied to her, trying his best to keep the conversation in a joking manner, his own heart racing. He wanted to hold Emma longer.

"Uhhh I'm going to help David with the boat," Emma said quickly, moving away from Killian and Ruby. Killian watched her walk away before turning back to Ruby, who was watching him idly.

"Hm," Ruby said simply, her eyes following Killian's gaze towards Emma, but she seemed to shake her head, deciding it was nothing. "Come on. We better get going," Ruby said to Killian, smiling at him but not smirking, her flirtatious banter seeming to take a back seat. Killian nodded, following the two ladies to the boat. _She doesn't know,_ Killian told himself, looking at Ruby with the hopes that she couldn't see right through him. He would just have to stay away from Emma if he wanted to keep his promises.

* * *

Emma sat with David at the steering wheel, letting Killian and Ruby sit in the back of the boat as they headed out. Her head felt fuzzy and her cheeks hot, but she wasn't blind. Killian had flirted with Ruby.

Emma shook her head, trying to clear the big lump in her throat. She was surprised but she didn't know why. He was allowed to do as he pleased. _Maybe he doesn't like me after all,_ Emma thought to herself. But then again he had wrapped his arms around her. He had given her those butterflies in the pit of her stomach that made her went to hold him tighter and kiss him senseless. But she hadn't. It had taken all her strength to walk away from him.

Emma sighed, leaning back in her seat and letting the wind fly through her hair as the boat hit the choppy waves. She didn't want to think about Killian, not tonight. Keeping her eyes off of him and Ruby, Emma focused on the island ahead of them, where a huge bonfire had already begun, the sound of drunk teenagers reaching her ears. Emma laughed, turning to David.

"Didn't you miss this?" Emma mocked him, nudging him with her elbow.

"Absolutely not," David laughed, already shaking his head. Emma just rolled her eyes, David was too much of an adult to ever want to loosen up.

"Just promise me you'll be careful," David asked seriously, his eyes distracted while he docked the boat but the words still came out as judgmental as he planned them to.

"Yes, I promise. Jeez can't you guys just be my friends for once instead of my parents?" Emma groaned, tossing the buoys over the edge of the boat and hopping out to help tie it down.

"Sorry, Emma. It's my job," David smiled at her, happily annoying her. Emma wanted to say something back but Ruby had already jumped out of the boat and was pulling her towards the party.

"Whatever, you don't control me!" Emma yelled back, sticking her tongue out at Killian and David who just laughed, "Hmph. Let's go Ruby," Emma added, following her up the dock towards the field in front of them, where teenagers grouped around the fire, yelling and laughing with each other.

Emma and Ruby headed for the loudest group that were sitting up by the fire, each holding a beer or a drink of some sort and laughing loudly at something someone must have said. A little brunette girl waved at them as they walked up.

"Hey Emma! Ruby!" She shouted, drawing the attention of the rest of the group who all smiled too, sharing hello's to the two girls.

"Hey Belle," Emma smiled at her, joining the group, "hey everyone," she added, giving a little wave to them. One of the boys tossed her a beer and she thanked him, sitting next to Belle by the fire. It was blazing brightly, lighting up the woods behind them and giving a nice glow to the surrounding field.

"Emma are you doing the boat race tonight?" Belle asked excitedly.

"Oh… no I don't think so. I'm already a little intoxicated," She laughed.

"That's never stopped Emma Swan before," Belle said, raising her eyebrows in anticipation. Emma had truly forgot about the boat race, her mind somewhere else entirely. But Belle was right. Emma never backed down from a challenge.

"You're Emma Swan?" One of the boys asked her from across the group. Obviously listening in to their conversation.

"Who's asking?" Emma asked back, taking a chug from her beer.

"I'm Graham. I'll be the one racing against you tonight."

"Yeah I'm her," Emma admitted, smiling at him, "And I'll be kicking your ass tonight." She raised her eyebrows, challenging him to say something back. He shared a look with some of the other guys in the group before looking back to her.

"I'm also friend's with Neal," Graham replied, watching Emma's smile wipe from her face.

"So what?" Emma said back, more forcefully then she meant to, trying to resist clenching her jaw at the mention of his name. The guy next to Graham shook his head.

"So we wanted to see for ourselves what kind of girl Neal gave up for Tamara," The guy said, "And… he's a dumbass." All the guys burst out laughing, making Emma blush a little but laugh with them, it was nice to know she wasn't alone in her thoughts of Neal.

"As long as he's not here. I'm happy," Emma said, rolling her eyes. Silence seemed to cover the group at her last words and Emma looked around to Belle who was chewing her lip nervously.

"Fuck," Emma groaned, quickly looking around the fire, scanning the crows. She didn't see him. But he was definitely here. Somewhere.

"Well, bout that time," Emma said, chugging the rest of her beer and reaching for another.

* * *

Killian could feel the heat from the alcohol reaching his cheeks. He was holding a bottle of straight Captain Morgan Rum, sipping from it as if it were a fruity drink. He had followed David past the gaggle of obnoxious teens that surrounded Emma and up to a group by the forest, where everyone seemed much more relaxed and at ease then the screaming from down the beach.

David introduced him to his friends Robin and Regina, Regina's sister Zelena, and his old buddy from college, Lance. Killian greeted them all, chatting about college and old times and how Regina had met Robin in a bar and had actually ran out she had gotten so nervous to which Killian found ironic. From the look of her, Regina could tear you in two just by looking at you hard enough. They were all nice enough though and Killian could feel David relaxing with his friends. IT was nice to see him relaxed while he stood on edge, not able to help but look over to Emma every once in a while to make sure she was okay. Not that he should care, but he knew that he did. She was blushing and he could see a group of guys all smiling at her, laughing with her. His jaw clenched. He didn't like the look of them.

"David?" A high pitched voice reached his ears and he turned to see a young woman with a short dark pixie cut running up to them, a big red smile across her pale skin. "Yes?" David asked, turning to see whose voice was speaking and looking at the girl with little to no recognition.

"It's Mary Margaret…," The girl said, looking a little hurt at David.

"Oh my god! Mary Margaret?! You look so different I hardly recognized you!" David beamed at the name, instantly looking happily at, what Killian assumed to be, an old friend.

"Yeah I kinda chopped my hair, made a few changes," The girl blushed.

"You look absolutely beautiful," David said softly, reaching down to give her a hug, "How long has it been? 5? 6 years?" Killian watched their little interaction, smiling at them. He would have to remember to ask David later about his relationship with Mary Margaret. After all, he hadn't seen David happy like that with a woman in a long time. Even just a hello had brightened him up.

"OH and this is my friend Killian Jones," David said, seeming to only then realize that it was not just him and Mary Margaret by the fire.

"Actually I was just about to take a walk and let you two catch up," Killian said. He watching the two of them nod to him in sync before instantly looking back at each other, already wrapped up in a conversation about how long it had been since they had last gotten together.

Killian had a strange feeling he was no longer welcome in their conversation as he walked away from them and down to the water's edge. He wasn't sure where a walk would really take him on a small island so instead he just walked until he was out of view of the rest of the group and sat down against a rock wall that stopped lake water from lapping up onto the field above it. He felt out of place, not having any friends here like David and Emma did. Instead he decided to make his rum his friend of the night, chugging it until he felt his lips purse in disgust, not able to drink anymore.

"That's one way to deal with your problems," A voice laughed behind him making Killian jump in surprise. Ruby walked into view, smiling at him with knowing eyes.

"Sorry. You scared me, love," Killian said, shaking his head. She just shrugged, sitting down next to him and holding a hand out. Killian just looked at it questioningly and he heard Ruby laugh again.

"The rum," She clarified, reaching over and taking it out of Killian's hands so that she could chug some on her own, "Oh wow. I don't know how you're still standing when you're drinking this." Killian didn't really know how he was either, and he realized that his vision was starting to get very fuzzy very fast. He didn't seem to mind though. It felt warm in his veins.

"I guess I'm just used to it," Killian said bitterly, reaching back for the bottle.

"I'll give it back to you when… you admit that you are trying to get in my best friend's pants," Ruby laughed, holding the bottle away from him and watching as Killian made feeble attempts at grabbing it, his mouth falling open a bit in surprise. He shouldn't known that she would see through him.

"I'm not trying to do anything. Emma deserves better then me," Killian said, surprising even himself with his words, but he could feel the ground moving below him, his vision blurred and confused and he was having trouble controlling his words.

"Well she likes you, too. I can see it on her face," Ruby smiled at him, "So who cares what you do? Just go for it. David's fine. He doesn't, in fact, control her life."

Killian looked at her, shaking his head. He knew that he shouldn't be taking Ruby's advice of all people but right now it was all he wanted to do. His stomach was still turning at the thought of Emma with one of those guys. He stood up rather sloppily, to which Ruby died laughing but once he was up he seemed to have more control of his limbs. "You are absolutely right lass," Killian nodded to Ruby. Ruby stayed seated on the wall, nodding to him. "Thank you," Killian added, leaning down to reach for one of Ruby's hand. Softly, he laid a kiss on the back of her hand. Ruby blushed a little, "Oh jeez, go on," She laughed.

* * *

It was late, very late. And everyone seemed to be belligerent compared to Emma. She knew she wouldn't be allowed to race if she was like that. But on the other hand, she didn't know where Ruby or Killian were and the knot in the pit of her stomach told her that Killian was not a man looking to hook up with his friend's little sister when he had someone like Ruby. She sighed, wishing she could just get over her crush. The alcohol seemed to make it worse, increasing her need for companionship. _His_ companionship.

"Emma! Come throw stuff in the fire! It's fun!" Belle yelled, laughing while throwing random things into the bonfire. Emma shook her head, hoping Belle hadn't thrown anything valuable in there by accident. Knowing her luck, she had probably already burned one of her favorite books into the fire. Emma told herself she'd deal with her tomorrow, but tonight she didn't want to take care of drunkies. Instead she turned to the woods, heading for a wood through the trees.

The woods were lit with the reflection from the moon, which helped her see as she walked through the trees and away from the group of people surrounding the fire. It was still dark but there weren't many people taking walks through the woods, which meant she could just enjoy the silence. She found that she was better on her own then with others. Most people found it creepy or unnerving walking alone through shadowed trees but not Emma, she had never let fear stop her from doing what she wanted. Only on occasion did it ever really get her in trouble.

"You are absolutely right lass." Emma heard from her left, stopping her in her tracks, her mind crashing back to reality. She knew that voice. She shut her eyes, she wasn't sure she wanted to know what Ruby and Killian were doing together but she gave in to temptation turning towards the voices in time to see Killian kiss the top of her hand. "Oh jeez, go on," Ruby laughed at him. She was holding his bottle of rum. Emma felt her jaw clenching watching the two of them. At least they were clothed. Sighing she turned back to the woods, trying to continue her walk, although a part of her felt that it wasn't really worth it anymore.

"Emma?" She could hear his low Irish voice. _Was she hearing things?_ But then she heard it again. She could feel his footsteps running up to her. She turned to face him, hoping her face didn't give away the lack of composure. "What are you doing out here?" He was still a couple of feet away from her, his run slowing to a walk as he viewed her face. His eyes were glazed over but he looked worried, eyeing her suspiciously. Ruby must have stayed by the water, out of sight. Emma was grateful that it was just him. She wasn't sure if she could handle both of them right now.

"Just looking for some privacy," Emma said vaguely, hoping to keep at least some of her thoughts secret from him.

"Privacy for what?" Killian asked her.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emma replied, raising her eyebrows at him. She enjoyed watching him squirm a little. For all he knew, she could be meeting a guy here. The idea made her laugh but she would let him think what he wanted to.

"I hope you aren't trying to get with any of those guys that you were with," Killian said back. He looked rather annoyed about the whole matter, which made Emma roll her eyes.

"As if you weren't hitting on Ruby every chance you got," Emma snorted, trying to pass off her jealousy for playful banter. She was pretty sure it failed. They were both too inebriated to fully understand what was happening, but Emma knew she saw that smirk play across his face. He knew she was jealous. Emma opened her mouth, flustered but no words seemed to tumble out. "I… Not that it matters," Emma managed to get through her lips. She felt embarrassed; she shouldn't have brought that up. Emma didn't know how to explain to him why she was jealous, instead she turned to leave, feeling uncomfortable but then he had reached for her hand. "What…," Emma looked down confused. Killian ignored her, slipping his rough palm into hers and pulled her back to him. She looked at him, part want and part unknowing of what he would do next. She opened her mouth to explain but could only mumble varies apologizes. She was too close to him to think straight. He just smiled at her, ignoring her apologizes. Emma suddenly felt hyperaware of the fact that he had pulled her quite close to him, his body touching hers, his mouth only inches away from her lips. _Oh._

"I don't have eyes for Ruby," Killian said quietly, smiling at her. He looked rather satisfied to have made Emma so flustered. Slowly, Killian removed his hand from Emma's, moving instead to the small of her back and resting his hand tightly against her, pulling her to him. "Killian what are you…,"

"Sh. Emma… please," Killian said quietly, his grip tight against her. Emma knew she could walk away if she wanted to… but she didn't want to. She wanted to be here, with him, she wanted to be kissing him roughly. She wanted him to push her against a tree and pull her legs up around his waist. She felt her stomach doing flips in her stomach at the thought of it. But they couldn't do that. _I can't do that,_ Emma thought, but she still didn't move. Instead they stood there, both feeling conflicted, unsure of whether it was the alcohol or not that was putting them in this position.

Her lips lay open, waiting for him to make a move. She wanted hi to make the move. "Emma," He whispered, pushing her hair away from her face. His touch felt warm ad welcome on her cheek. She wanted to keep him there. Not entirely sure of what she was doing, she slipped one of her hands around him resting her palm on the nape of his neck, pulling his lips closer to hers. She would pay for it later. They were so close, she could smell the rum on his lips.

"Well, well, well," Someone said slowly. Tingles shot down Emma's spine, awakening her to what was happening. She knew that voice.

The words seemed to break the spell between her and Killian and Emma gasped, pushing him away from her instantly, her breathing hard and aggressive. Killian didn't fight her, simply moving away silently, looking over at the unwelcome voice. "What's up Emma? Still trying to find a rebound to get over me I see," Neal sneered at her, his eyes flashing to Killian with a look of disdain. Emma looked between the two guys; she could see the veins in Killian's neck pulsing with anger at Neal's comment. She was sure her face reflected the same emotion.

"That's none of your business, Neal," Emma said simply, crossing her arms across her chest. She was going to stand her ground.

"Isn't it?"

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to see if you were OKAY," Neal said, clearly a little annoyed at the idea that Emma might, in fact, be okay without him.

"Well she's fine, lass," Killian said, moving once again to close the gap between him and Emma and slipping an arm around her waist, "So there's no need for you to be checking on her, is there?" His arm felt protective around her waist and Emma had to control herself from smirking.

Neal looked astonished at Killian's outburst, his eyes glued to the spot where Killian's hand met Emma's hip. "We'll see about that," He mumbled, turning away from them angrily, "Oh and isn't it about time for your race?" Neal asked, raising his eyebrows at her. Killian looked down at her, shocked.

"What race…," Killian asked quietly, trying not to make a scene but Emma could see his jaw tightening, fear crossing his face.

"The boat race," Emma said quietly.

"What?! You can't race!" Killian yelled out. This time it was Emma's turn to look at him shocked. She stepped away from him.

"Oh she didn't tell you?" Neal replied, trying to hide a smile behind his smug face, "She's a bit of a daredevil around here. I guess you haven't been around long enough to really see it."

Emma wanted to retaliate but it was true. She never turned down a challenge. "Emma be sensible, you're not thinking straight," Killian pleaded with her, the boyfriend card being thrown out the window for the once again, protective friend. It made Emma's stomach turn in a different sense. He still saw her as a child.

"It's not your choice," Emma said simply, turning to follow Neal out of the forest but Killian grabbed her again. "Stop doing that!" Emma said, annoyed.

"Emma please don't race. You're drunk! You could get hurt! And it's dark you can barely see," Killian looking frazzled. Emma reached up, placing a palm against his cheek.

"Thank you for worrying about me," She whispered, "But I don't need protection. The only person who saves me is me." Killian stood back silently, maybe realizing that he was not in control of her. He never would be.

She watched him come to terms with Emma's decision. "Please be careful," He whispered, touching the spot on her cheek where he had moved the hair out of her face. She smiled at him.

"Thanks big bro," Emma said sarcastically, brushing his hand off of her. It was one thing to try to be romantic with her and another to tell her what to do. He had to pick one. She could tell he didn't like being called a brother, his eyebrows twitching a little in annoyance, but he didn't comment.

"Okay," He said finally, letting her go and watching her follow in Neal's footsteps.

* * *

Killian's heart was pounding out of his chest. _Why did he let go of her_ , He kept thinking to himself, watching her walk away from him. A part of him pushed to stop her but he knew that it would just push her farther away from him. It wasn't his place. Not that he should've gone after her in the first place. _What was I thinking,_ Killian thought, grunting loudly to himself. He just stood there, pushing his hands through his hair and watching the blonde bombshell that was Emma Swan stroll away from him with ease.

He waited a minute or two for Emma to leave the woods before he followed in her wake, joining David and the rest of the group all waiting for the boat races to begin. Emma wasn't among them, as he knew she wouldn't. He noticed that Mary Margaret was still there though, standing next to David, their hands brushing against each other lightly. It made Killian smile to see David happy. Unfortunately, David's smile didn't last long.

"Hey Killian," David said, though not as kindly as Killian expected. Killian felt his heart race, hoping David hadn't seen him and Emma. _Oh no._

"I can explain…" Killian started, his mind going crazy but David wasn't paying attention.

"Where's Emma?" David asked, his voice deepening with anger as he started to realize that Emma wasn't around him, or anywhere in the crowd. A part of Killian relaxed. David didn't know that he had tried to make a pass at Emma. Unfortunately, Killian did let Emma go out to the water, where she was clearly driving a boat to the starting line.

"WHY IS EMMA OUT THERE?!" David screamed bloody murder.

Even from their spot on land, they could clearly make out Emma's bright golden hair and leather jacket. She was out in the middle of the water by now, her hands on the steering wheel of their family's boat, her eyes focused on the race. Killian felt his stomach turning. If she got hurt, he would never forgive himself. On the other hand, she was pretty badass to watch.

"No! NO!" David screamed, running down to the docks, "EMMA!"

"Oh boy," Mary Margaret mumbled, watching David warily.

"Agreed," Killian mumbled back, sharing a scared expression with Mary Margaret. David was going nuts, his hands waving above his head screaming as he ran down each dock individually, trying to get Emma's attention. A part of Killian was trying not to laugh. He didn't know if Emma could hear David but if she did she was ignoring him pretty well. As for everyone else, David seemed to be the center of attention, his voice louder then any cheerer in the crowd. For a minute, Killian wondered if Emma would come back to land but then the flag went down, and Emma took off, the three other boats speeding next to her.

"I'm going to kill her!" David screamed.

"Go Emma!" Killian screamed at the same time as David the two exchanging glances. Suddenly, Killian felt like he was also going to be killed.

"… I mean… Stop…?" Killian said questioningly, backing away from David and turning back to watch the race. He had to admit, Emma was good behind the steering wheel.

* * *

Emma's stomach filled with a rush she hadn't felt in months. That feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her to push more, go faster, turn harder. Adrenaline filled her veins. Their boat flew through the water, hitting waves hard but she kept her footing. She was used to this, good at this. The alcohol in her system was barely noticeable, she knew it wasn't going to hold her back even if David thought she was going to die on the spot. _Focus Emma,_ She thought to herself, shaking her head to concentrate. It wasn't a long race and she needed to get ahead. The other boats seemed to be dragging behind her making it so she didn't have any competition. Except for Graham.

"Sorry Emma!" Graham yelled from the side of her boat, slipping past her in the water.

"You wish Graham!" Emma spat back, they were reaching the turn and unfortunately for Graham, Emma was a pro at this. As soon as she rounded the corner, she pulled down the throttle, turning the wheel in the opposite direction. In a boat too large or a boat too small it could tip, but Emma knew how hers operated, and she felt the water slosh to the sides, water slipping over her. The boat slid smoothly across the glass like water. She was soaked but laughing, the adrenaline in her system keeping her alert. Graham had fallen behind, cursing loudly.

"Bye bye Graham!" Emma laughed, speeding up faster and faster, letting the boat fly through the water, her eyes focused for the finish. She could hear Graham catching up.

"Looks like it might be close," Graham yelled, his eyebrows raised at her. She could barely hear him, the engine roaring behind her but she didn't want to listen to him anyways. She gripped the steering wheel harder. _Like hell he was going to win._

"Kick her ass Graham!" Neal yelled from the docks, their boats passing close to shore as they reached the finish. Emma felt her stomach clench, her mouth falling open. _How dare he._ she wasn't going to let him win this. She was going the max she could push herself, her speed reaching into the 80s, which at night on a lake boat felt like 200, the spray of water hitting her face with power, some sprays causing her to gasp at the cold water. David was still screaming at her but she didn't care, she would win this if it killed her.

"GO EMMA!" She heard from land. The voice made her smile. It was deep, male, filled with a familiar Irish accent that already made her feel happier. Laughing she shook her head, passing ahead of Graham. The finish line was right there, Graham behind her, she was already screaming in victory as she flew right through the finish line.

"SUCKS TO SUCK!" Emma screamed, laughing loudly and slowing down the boat, turning back around to head for shore. She was soaked, her makeup skewed across her face. She looked crazy and she knew it but nothing could take away from this moment.

"Good job Emma. I underestimated you," Graham smiled, "I'd give you a handshake but… you know. Separate boats… and my friend's are assholes," He laughed. Emma nodded back, smiling. Even if Neal was a horrible person, she was glad she had someone on her side. Even if it was someone like Graham.

"EMMA IF YOU HAD A MIDDLE NAME I'D SAY IT SWAN, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!" David had steam practically blowing out of his ears. Emma's smile faded, along with all the blood in her face. _Maybe someone could ruin this moment._

"David I can…"

"I told her to! It's my fault," Killian jumped between them, pushing them apart. He looked worriedly between them.

"She could've gotten killed!" David screamed.

"Well I didn't," Emma shrugged, turning to Killian for help. Killian joined her, shrugging casually.

"Well… you should be thanking the gods that you didn't!" David yelled, the argument seeming so pointless. She had already done it. Still the blood in David's face was beating red, his anger clear across his face.

"She's okay, David," Mary Margaret said, slipping an arm around David's, seeming to instantly calm him, even if it was only a little bit. David nodded, letting everyone walk back to the boat, Emma turned too but David pulled her back.

"This wasn't Killian's idea," He said matter-of-factly. Emma blushed a little, giving herself away, "yeah that's what I thought," David said, his voice raising a little again. "COME ON EMMA!"

"Oh give it a rest," Emma laughed, pushing him into the boat.

"YOU GIVE IT A REST! Emma… think before you act!" David yelled, his voice slowly lowering to his adult lecture voice. Emma groaned but let him talk, not listening very much just hearing "You should be safer!" and "Child!" and "Boats are dangerous!" repeatedly. She tried not to laugh. David would calm down soon enough. She'd deal with him tomorrow when he was done lecturing and ready to admit that the race was cool. He was never one to hold a grudge against her. At the moment, Emma's mind was elsewhere though. She was more sober now, her mind clearer, and she turned away from David for only a second. Her eyes finding Killian's in the crowd. The look was fleeting, lastly only a second or two but she knew that they were both thinking the same thing. They didn't care about the boat race, or David's lectures. But what had they done to each other? Emma took a gulp. That couldn't happen again.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Here's the new chapter! So far everything is nice and fluffy so enjoy it while it lasts! I know I do! Except for in the show because it's been like 3 seasons and they need to amp up that romance soon amiright?_

* * *

Emma's eyes fluttered open to an early sunrise, her mind still in a daze from her deep and troubled dreams. "Ughh," Emma moaned loudly, covering her face with a pillow in an attempt to keep herself in the dark. Unfortunately, light was flooding through her window, forcing her eyes to adjust to a new day before Emma had the chance to stop it. Emma still tried though and forced her eyes shut, pretending it wasn't daytime yet. Unfortunately, some very loud noises were creeping from downstairs, drifting up to Emma's eardrums and she wondered if it was the voices or the light that had woken her up in her grumpy state. She cursed to herself but otherwise seemed to accept her fate, pushing the covers away from her body in an attempt to move. She didn't want to dream anymore anyways but being awake meant headaches and screaming matches with whoever was downstairs.

It had been 3 days since the bonfire and Emma swore she still had a hangover since her head was still pounding heavily but now she wondered if it was all the loud noises her family was making since David had arrived home. A part of her didn't doubt it since her body was so used to peace and quiet and was now being thrown headfirst into crazy parents, brothers, and one hot Irish lad that just wouldn't leave her head. _Not today,_ Emma thought to herself, trying to focus her mind on other things: like who was fighting downstairs.

It was a Monday, which meant that her father was out at the diner, and possibly her mother, although she was pretty sure she could hear her mother's shrill voice from the kitchen and made a mental note to wear earplugs next time she wanted to sleep in and her mother was staying home. Deciding it best to just go downstairs, she sighed and turned her eyes down towards her legs. "Alright, let's get up," Emma said scratchily, talking to her limbs as if they would somehow listen to her orders and jump out of bed like magic.

Instead the movements were slow and taxing, her body cracking every few seconds as she lifted herself up off the mattress. It must be early, Emma decided, giving a death glare to the hazy light outside and to her own body, which was moving at a snails pace out of the cozy covers on her bed.

She needed to check her phone, she realized, and reached for it lazily to find that it was only 8:15 in the morning, to which Emma groaned internally at, and that Neal had sent her a couple texts while she was asleep. Neither made her smile and instead her brows furrowed at the sight of his name appearing on her screen. He hadn't messaged her in weeks and Emma had a strange feeling that she should put her phone down and walk away without a second glance. She debated her options, trying to think logically but in the end she opened the messages anyways, curiosity getting the better of her.

 _12:15 am: Can we meet up sometime? I'd like to talk to you_

 _12:30 am: What's wrong with me? I can't stop thinking about you_

 _1:10 am: I think I've made a big mistake letting you go_

Emma read the messages to herself but she didn't answer them. She could practically feel her mouth dropping at his words but she wasn't sure why. He was like a child, always wanting what he couldn't have. Instead she shook her head and put her phone in her pocket, deciding to deal with Neal later. Besides, the voices below her were getting louder and it was all Emma could do not to scream down the stairs at them.

Without a second glance at her phone, she got up, not bothering to change out of her pajamas, and made her way down the stairs to find David and her mother in a heated debate while Killian watched them warily from the other side of the kitchen.

Emma looked at the two fighting before deciding to go stand next to Killian, her body moving almost instinctively to stand beside him. "What are they fighting about now?" Emma whispered quietly into Killian's ear, accidentally smelling a very sweet aroma of cologne that was coming off his body and continuing to block her nose in an attempt at relaxing the butterflies in her stomach. He looked at her with a jump, seeming to have just noticed her presence and it was all Emma could do not to giggle at his reaction. But she didn't giggle, deciding that that would be too childish and this was no child in front of her. Besides, ever since the fire Killian had begun treating her like she either didn't exist or like she was a fragile child about to break at his touch. Either way, Emma had become determined to prove him wrong and had found that it was taking more effort than she expected not to act like a teenage girl. "Uh, I'm not entirely sure, lass. I believe your mother has bought us some tickets to visit Boston? And David has gone and bought your mother tickets to… a concert? And somehow that caused a debate?" Killian looked utterly confused and it made Emma smile at how naïve he was.

"Welcome to the family," Emma giggled, reaching around Killian to grab a granola bar off of the counter and feeling his eyes following her as she moved around him. She smirked a little, happy that she made him flinch with her touch.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand, love," Killian laughed, his hand absently scratching at the back of his neck.

"You see, David doesn't like when mom spends money on us because growing up we didn't really… well we didn't exactly have a lot of money and now that we're somewhat stable my parents keep trying to "give us the childhood we never had" and now that David has some money he keeps trying to give my parents "chances that THEY never had" and… apparently it's driving them both mad," Emma laughed, shaking her head at the two of them.

"Oh… " Killian said finally, still trying to piece together Emma's explanation.

"They both want to take care of the other," Emma said back to clear up her story for him and he seemed to understand more, nodding his head and allowing them both to sit back and watch the fight in front of them, which was seeming to wrap up.

"Take the tickets David! Take Killian! Take Emma! Go enjoy a REAL day of summer and let me take care of my children," Eva said angrily, the lines on her face wrinkled in pure annoyance.

"Alright alright… Thank you mother. But please take my gift and go to the concert tomorrow night with dad because… just... please," David said, his hands combing through his hair, clearly tired of fighting with his mother. They both stood there, just holding out gifts for the other with stern expressions across their faces and the blood boiling in their cheeks. Emma laughed, watching the two of them and they seem to ease up at the sound of her voice.

"Alright fine…thank you," Eva smiled at David, reaching her hands out for her son who allowed the hug, his eyes only rolling slightly. "WOO!" Emma whooped, thankful for the peace and quiet returning to the house since her head was still pounding softly in her ears.

"And good morning, darling," Eva sighed, releasing David to turn towards her daughter and Killian.

"Morning," Emma smiled towards the two of them, taking another bite of her granola bar, "Having a debate are we?"

"No! No… Everything's fine! Actually you three are going to Boston today! And that's… Well that's final," Eva yelled. Her voice was a little higher pitched than normal and Emma noticed that her mind seemed more focused on fixing her hair then talking, a nervous tick her mother had always had for as long as Emma could remember. Emma laughed a little, watching her mother's face flush with embarrassment for fighting with her son in front of a guest. Aka Killian Jones.

"You didn't have to do that…," Emma started but her mother cut her off, her hand going up to stop Emma before she said to much.

"No no! I am not fighting another child on this!" Eva yelled out, shaking her head at the rest of them, "Killian? Anything you want to add?"

"Uh no ma' lady. Thank you very much," Killian smiled at her, his face a little flushed at being called out and Emma nudged him from the side, making him blush even more under Eva's gaze.

"Kiss ass," Emma mumbled and he turned to her, his eye contact driving electricity through her brain.

"What was that Swan?" He whispered back, a playful smirk reappearing on his lips but it's Emma's mother who spoke next, breaking the banter between the two of them.

"Yes well… alright then. Emma go get dressed. I have to go help your father, he's all alone at the restaurant and I'm positive that he's just bothering all the costumers so… have a good day. I love you and please keep an eye on Emma," Eva finished hastily. She kissed Emma on the top of the head, making Emma wince in annoyance and reached for her purse and car keys before heading for the door. Emma watched her mother walk past her, preparing to turn and give Killian a proper response but her mother turned around at the door, pointing to David at Killian, letting them know that she meant what she said about watching Emma, which just made her jaw tighten in frustration. _Why did everyone think of her as a child?_

"You should eat more then a granola bar for breakfast…," David said, continuing his mother's argument but Emma had already walked past him and was making her way upstairs, prepared to ignore them until they left. She felt embarrassed enough and her head needed a break from the sweet Irish cologne that was starting to clog up her senses. Thankfully, Boston was one of Emma's favorite places to visit and she hoped that she would be able to enjoy it without too much trouble.

* * *

It was half past 10 by the time they were ready to leave and Killian had made it a point to stay far away from Emma before they left for Boston. Ever since the fire it had seemed like Emma was continually trying to torture him and he just couldn't handle it as much as he thought he would. He had gone upstairs to change quickly and could hear Lana Del Rey's sultry voice blaring out of Emma's computer. A part of him wanted to ask her if she was feeling okay but he had gone this far without talking to her too much and he wasn't about to ruin that by crossing the barrier into her room.

So instead, Killian got changed quickly, swiped his hands through his mop of hair, decided he'd shave another day and went downstairs to find David. A voice in his head told him that he needed to relax. After all she was much younger then him and there was hardly a chance that she would care about him when she had so many other suitors to choose from. Unfortunately, that voice seemed muffled the minute she had reached around him this morning, her hand skimming his chest and the smell of her herbal essence shampoo making him feel weak at the knees. It was like she didn't even try and yet she still somehow knew just what to do to get under his skin.

Killian focused his mind back to his present job of packing up some snacks for the road just as Emma emerged from upstairs, her hair brushed out, a nice cardigan around her shoulders and a tiny pair of shorts wrapped around her hips, barely covering his butt. "Uhh…," Killian's voice seemed to trail off, his eyes meeting her legs.

"Yes?" Emma smirked at him. _Oh bloody hell,_ Killian muttered to himself. She knew exactly what she was doing to him.

"What would you like for a snack, lass?" Killian smirked back, lifting up various fruits from the table as examples.

"I really love red apples," Emma replied, her eyes trailing the floor in search of her shoes, "Oh and onion rings but we don't really have any of those."

"Really? You're an onion rings person?" Killian laughed, picking up two red apples and sticking them in the bag.

"Oh and let me guess… You are a French fry person?" Emma joked, her eyes rolling at him.

"Hey there, don't trash talk French fries," Killian smiled back at her, "Otherwise I'll have to fight you". He said it in a lighthearted manner, expecting more debate from the wild fire but the room was quiet, and he looked up to see Emma looking at him silently with a tense expression like she was debating on saying something more before David walked back in from outside, his feet stomping onto the wood floors and reminding the two of them that they were never really alone in this house.

"Ready to go?"

"Uh… yeah, of course. After you," Killian replied, following David to the car with Emma in tow, her tense expression replaced by a tight smile across her cheeks. David didn't seem to notice though and took his seat in the car as driver, allowing Killian to sit shotgun, and leaving Emma to sit in the back alone. "Now I know how Hank feels, alone in the backseat," She grumbled, pulling herself into the car.

"If you're going to be a child about it we can switch," Killian joked with her, sticking his head into the backseat just to be greeted with Emma's glaring eyes, "Or not," He added, feeling rather scared by her expression.

"Yeah better not," Emma sneered back, her arms crossing protectively in front of her body. Killian laughed it off but he felt a pang of guilt in his chest for making another child comment. Silently to himself, he agreed not to say another word about it since it obviously bothered Emma so much. He was sure he could find another way to keep her at arms length without hurting her feelings in the process. Instead, he sat in silence, letting David pull out of the driveway and start their two hour trek down to Boston.

As the road continued, Killian actually found his mind quite occupied with music blasting from the car radio and the wind hitting him in the face with the windows rolled down. Emma had fallen asleep within a half hour of the drive and he could see her in the side mirror, her hair falling over her face, her mouth slightly open, and her head leaning on the side of the car trying to get comfy. "She's adorable," Killian whispered to David, smiling at the sleeping beauty in the backseat.

"Yeah she's alright when she's not talking," David laughed, eyeing his sister through the mirror and smiling. It was obvious that he cared very much for his sister, and Killian could see it in the way his eyes softened when he saw her. "She likes you, you know?" David said, turning his eyes back to the road.

"Ohhh no she doesn't," Killian laughed back at him. She had all but pushed him away from her at the fire, making it clear that she wasn't interested. He wondered if she was even meaning to torture him or if it was just his own mind playing tricks on him. Either way, she had made one thing clear: She did NOT care.

"Trust me. If Emma didn't like you you'd know. I think that she's starting to see you as a second more-fun older brother," David laughed, looking proudly at Killian the way a dad looks at a son. The whole situation made Killian feel extremely uncomfortable. "Oh… great," Killian said sarcastically, focusing back on the road and hoping David was done talking about this. Fortunately, David was merging into traffic and was too preoccupied to truly reply to Killian's sarcastic responses. Besides, if David wanted to think about it that way then so be it.

"We're getting close," David mumbled, the lines on his forehead creasing in annoyance as they pulled into traffic leading into the city, "I hope you like aquariums because that's where we are heading first," He added, rolling his eyes at the array of tickets his mother had bought them, "And then apparently, dinner is paid for in gift cards, and my mother has written us a "love coupon" which includes a walk around Faneuil hall in the burning heat with a ton of strangers."

"That actually sounds lovely," Killian laughed, looking at the little cut out heart coupon his mother had made for them and the aquarium tickets behind it. He didn't want to admit it, but he was actually quite excited to see Boston and as they drove up near the TD Garden, Killian had to restrain himself from starting to take pictures.

"Have you ever been there?" Emma asked him, poking her head out from the backseat, making David and Killian jump. "When did you wake up?!" David yelled. Emma ignored him.

"Jeez Emma. You scared the living daylights out of me," Killian laughed, "No I've never been there."

"They have everything in there. Concerts, sports games, and the commuter rail is underneath it," Emma explained, pointing to some of the statues outside of the building.

"Wow," was all Killian could muster out of his mouth which made Emma laugh softly and then gasp, making both boys turn to her.

"What's wrong?!" David yelled.

"You should pull over! So we can get a picture! For memories!" Emma yelled, making David look at her in disbelief.

"You did not need to gasp like that to say that!" He argued.

"Oh come on David!" Emma whined at her brother who continued to groan at her but pulled over, mumbling about being quick. All three of them smiled though as they piled out of the car, Emma sliding between the two of them and taking a few selfies of them before asking someone to take their photo so that she could wrap her arms around her two guys and smile big in front of the Garden. Killian's arm felt so natural around Emma's shoulders and he smiled big at the camera, listening to Emma's contagious laugh beside him and David's grunts of disapproval from her other side. Her hands felt warm against his side and he felt himself smiling, _really_ smiling as the flash went off.

"Alright! You've got your photo," David yelled, both to Killian and Emma, "Now come on children."

"Ohh poor Killian, you've been demoted to child just like me," Emma said to Killian, fake pouting towards him, her arm still around him

"Noo!" Killian fake screamed, raising his arms up dramatically and feeling Emma push him away from her, laughing.

"Oh shut it," She said, annoyed but that playful smile was back on her face and Killian felt himself giving the same face in return in what felt like a middle school crush sort of smile. David screamed at them again though, and they both hopped back into the car, letting David take control of the trip once again.

* * *

The ride to the aquarium was both stressful and boring. Emma could feel her legs falling asleep in the car from sitting for so long. Eventually though, David made it through the city traffic, making it to the aquarium by 1, which still left them most of the day to do as they pleased.

Emma's head felt groggy from napping in the car but she felt okay otherwise, her headache now just a dull throb at the back of her head that she was not going to focus on at the moment. She looked forward to spending the day with the two boys, especially if that meant penguins, turtles, and her favorite: sea lions. "No swans I'm afraid," Killian smirked looking at the directory as they walked from the parking lot to the front entrance. Emma didn't answer and he squeezed her shoulders from behind, letting her know who he was talking to. She gasped a little at his touch, quickly covering her mouth a little in embarrassment and trying to laugh it off. She had become so jumpy with him. "Well none of them could compare to me anyways so..," She smirked.

"Agreed," Killian said back, making her blush.

"I was just joking," Emma shook her head at him but he just shrugged at her. For the life of her, she could not understand him. He baffled her in ways no one else had and he was one of the only people that she had ever met who could keep up with her sarcasm. In fact, he was the only person she knew who could throw it right back at her and Emma had found that she just couldn't get enough of it. She wanted to keep talking, wanted to keep being playful and make stupid comments with him but she knew she should stop. He would think that she was too much after awhile, or he would have to leave, or something would happen to ruin the friendship that they were building. The banter wasn't worth the endless causes of disappointment so instead she stopped herself, hoping her face didn't give away her insecurities. "What's the matter, Swan? Missing your flock?" Killian laughed, raising his eyebrows at her but she just rolled her eyes back, walking ahead of him and standing with David as they walked in, leaving Killian to look confused behind them.

"Alright, exhibit 1, penguins!" David yelled excitedly, making all of them chuckle as they reached the first railing. The aquarium smelled absolutely horrible but the little black and white penguins in front of them made them easily forget the smell of dirty water and animal slime. Emma couldn't stop herself from cooing at the little guys, her mind in overdrive on cuteness. She half expected the two guys to laugh at her but they were also looking at the penguins with their mouths open and little "aw's" escaping their lips every time one of the penguins slipped into the water or flopped his way down the little ice slides.

Emma couldn't stop smiling and continually pulled out her phone to snap photos of them with the penguins, fish, turtles, and jellyfish in the background. Of course, the ugliest fish were named after each of them. David got to be the goliath grouper: a huge fish that all the little fish seemed to be annoyed with according to Emma, Killian was named after the dangling chin barbels, which was only fitting to Killian's unshaved stubble chin. And in return, David and Killian agreed that the sea lions shouting as a whole embodied Emma's personality, which gained them each a punch in the arm.

The day was relaxing and fun and Emma could tell Killian was enjoying himself, watching the big sea turtles swim by and the penguins but even she was surprised at how excited he was when the sea lions came out. Her cheeks filled with laughter at the sight of him squealing over how cute they were. "Aw! I'm so glad to have a buddy who loves them like I do!" Emma squealed in return, getting a laugh out of him.

"Come on! Those creatures are magnificent!" Killian argued, waving to them as they jumped and flopped about in the pool. Emma smiled widely at him sitting next to him on the benches and facing the sea lions but her eyes didn't leave his face, watching him react to the show.

"What is it?" Killian asked, his eyebrows crinkled in concern.

"Nothing. You're just funny," Emma admitted, shrugging her shoulders and seeing him relax a little.

"I agree!" David spoke loudly, pushing his way into the conversation by forcing himself into sitting between Emma and Killian, smiling widely at the two of them.

"Yay friendshippp," David cheered, laughing as Emma groaned and putting his arms around both of them to pull them tightly into his armpits in a way to annoy the both of them.

"Yeah yeah," Emma said, her mind already wandering away from Killian's adorable facial expressions and back to reality, "thanks _dad."_

* * *

The rest of the day seemed to go smoothly and Killian was grateful to be spending it with Emma and David. By 5 though, they were all exhausted and ready to move on from their day excursion. Collectively, they checked what was left of their mother's gift and found that she had gotten them gift cards to the Hard Rock Café, which they were all thankful for by the time they had left the aquarium.

Emma's stomach in particular sounded like something was dying and David made it a point to remind her that she should have eaten more then a granola bar while Emma reminded him of the bag of snacks that was in the car that no one had bothered to get. In the end, they just decided to go straight to dinner, which caused another debate about whether to take the T below Boston or walk there. Fortunately, David lost that fight right away because the T cost money and the sunset was too gorgeous to pass up at this hour, giving Emma the satisfaction of winning, leading the group down to the restaurant.

The three walked in silence since Emma and David were tired from fighting. Next to them though, Killian seemed more awake the ever. The sunset was beautiful over the water and with Emma so close to him, he couldn't stop his emotions from slipping through his mind and wandering into his imagination. He silently cursed how perfectly the sun hit her. Each ray of light seemed to only accentuate Emma's beauty and it made Killian's stomach twist in a need he hadn't felt in years. He wanted to hold her and slip his hand around her shoulders. He wanted to pull her tight to him and never let her go but he stopped himself. He always stopped himself because he knew that she wouldn't want him to. Instead he put his hands in his pockets and kept his head down, trying to look at anything but the girl at his side.

Unfortunately, he could still smell her shampoo in his nostrils and remember the way her body felt against his. He tried to shake off the thoughts but he couldn't stop hearing the way she giggled at him when he teased her, right before she threw it right back at him in a way only Emma could. The images running through his head made him feel happier in a sense and he gave in to them, letting Emma fill his head.

"Why are you so happy?" David asked him, eyeing Killian with suspicion.

"What?" Killian asked, realizing a little too late that he had been smiling a large and teeth filled smile the whole time they were walking, "Oh… I don't know," He laughed, "I just kind of am… if that makes sense," Killian shrugged and David just seemed to nod, giving him a look of understanding.

"I think I understand," David replied, eyeing his phone with a smirk on his lips.

"Oh yeah?" Killian asked back, looking at him with confusion.

"Yeah…" David smiled and they both looked down at the buzzing phone in David's hand where Mary Margaret's name was popping up as a notification.

"Ahh, you've really hit it off with that girl, huh?" Killian chuckled.

"You have no idea," Emma piped in, listening quietly to their conversation.

"Ohh do tell," Killian asked excitedly, both of them ignoring David's cries of protest.

"Well David here had quite the crush on her in high school but she was dating this guy Victor, who was awful by the way but anyways. So she taught archery classes on the weekends and David used to sign up for them just so he could spend time with her and finally she broke up with Victor, FOR DAVID, and David here had already moved on to that girl Kathryn who he ended up breaking up with after like 2 month. Sad tale. Sad tale," Emma shook her head, remembering how annoying the whole situation had been. She had been rooting for them for so long.

"Then what happened?" Killian asked, looking at her intently but Emma just laughed.

"Nothing…that is until the bonfire…I guess fate has a way of bringing people back where they belong," Emma shrugged, smiling a little at Killian.

"That it does," Killian nodded back before turning to David and giving him a pat on the back, "Proud of you mate."

"Yeah yeah," David said, slightly annoyed at them but still smiling widely and looking at his phone ever couple seconds like a love struck puppy. Emma was watching him as they walked, her eyes sparkling with happiness for her brother.

"One can only wish for that I guess," Emma said simply, her eyes avoiding Killian's and just staring at the ground. The look of her made Killian's heart wrench. He wondered how she had been hurt but he knew she wouldn't tell him. Not now. "Oh here we are!" Emma yelled excitedly, pointing to the lit up Hard Rock Café sign and reminding them all just how hungry they were.

Big lit up guitars lined the entrance to the restaurant, which made Killian itch with excitement. If there was anything he missed it was playing guitar back home with some of his bandmates. David smiled at him, knowing he would enjoy the scenery. "You know me too well David," Killian smirked at him. Emma also gave him a warm smile, having heard of his love of guitars by now. Unfortunately, they were all too hungry to fully enjoy the décor and after a long wait, they were finally seated inside the restaurant, each of their stomachs growling loudly as they ordered burgers and fries. Killian swore they didn't speak for 20 minutes, the whole table scarfing down their food like animals. Emma's cheeks filled with ketchup and potatoes and Killian laughed, watching her stuff her cheeks.

"Would the table like any drinks tonight?" A waitress asked them, appearing at the table and smiling widely at Killian and David. Emma ignored her, seeming to be too invested in her meal, to which Killian laughed at.

"I'll take a pint," Killian replied, smiling at the waitress and watching her swoon a little at his accent, "And another for my friend here," Killian added, patting David on the back as he was getting up.

"Uh yes! But I'll be right back… Mary Margaret is calling," David said, blushing a little as he held up the phone, walking away from the table.

"And… you?" The waitress asked Emma, turning to face her with a little look of disgust across her face.

"Um no thank you," Emma said politely, letting her walk away before she continued to eat her meal, "you can't judge me when I'm hungry," Emma muttered, looking both to Killian and back at the waitress who was walking away from them in a huff.

"Not drinking tonight lass?" Killian asked her honestly. Emma just stopped, smirking a little at his lack of American knowledge.

"You're in America now, Kills. You have to be 21 to drink here," Emma giggled, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Oh…you're right… She didn't even card me," Killian admitted, looking around for the waitress but shrugging after a couple looks around the restaurant.

"That's because you're attractive and you have a hot Irish accent," Emma mumbled, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Is that so?" Killian started, his mouth falling open in utter shock at her blunt statement.

"Oh as if you didn't know. I doubt she would've carded any of us anyways… Maybe I just wasn't in the mood," Emma sneered at him but Killian saw right through her fake façade.

"Why? Afraid you'll find me even more irresistible after a few libations?" Killian asked her, letting his thick Irish accent lick at the words. Emma dropped her French fry back on her plate, coughing loudly. Her cheeks were turning pink quickly, embarrassment all over her face.

"You wish, Jones," Emma managed to get out, but her smile was already playing on her lips and she was still coughing up a fry, "Sorry," Emma blushed, covering her mouth, "Don't say things like that when I'm eating!" She finally yelled at him, making his lips just spread farther across his face.

"Hey guys, sorry about that," David said, quickly returning to the table, strumming his fingers on the edge.

"That's quite alrgiht mate, we were just…"

"Mhm," David cut Killian off quickly, turning back to the phone in his lap.

"Uh… Hi? What's up?" Emma asked him, watching him look at his phone as he continued to strum against the table.

"Oh nothing… We should probably just go soon, ya know? I'm just so exhausted," David said, avoiding Emma and Killian's gaze, his feeble attempt at an explanation covering nothing.

"Mary Margaret invited you over?"

"Uh… yes," David admitted, smiling a little at the table.

"Thatta boy," Killian smirked at him before turning back to his plate and finishing off whatever food was left there along with the two beers meant for him and David since David would be driving sooner then expected. Emma too, tried to eat even quicker, all laughing at their attempts to get David a date.

"We'll have to take you back here another day for your walk around Faneuil hall," Emma said to Killian as they hurried out of the restaurant.

"And my game at the Garden," Killian added, looking at her sternly.

"Yes and that too," Emma agreed, trying to keep up with David's pace, "David it is going to take us two hours to get back anyways! Calm down," She shook her head at him but he just glared at her and kept walking.

"He's a man on a mission," Killian added, running to keep up with them. The sun had long since gone down, and the streets were darker now, making all three of them want to walk as fast as possible to the car anyways.

As soon as they got closer to the parking garage, Emma started running for it, yelling shotgun before Killian even had a chance and he cursed as she slid into the passenger seat with a satisfied smirk. He didn't mind though, letting her make some childish comments about him as he moved into the backseat of the car, prepared to sleep for the whole ride back home.

"Sorry lass," Emma joked.

"Don't think I won't get you back for this," Killian muttered to her, his hand on her shoulder. She just wiggled a wicked grin at him though, turning back around to help David get out of the parking garage and back home.

* * *

By the time they arrived back in New Hampshire, it was getting late and Emma and Killian both found themselves lying across the couches watching David run around the house before throwing them a goodnight and heading out to Mary Margaret's.

They waved goodbye, each sitting in silence for a while. The TV was on in front of them but Killian had no idea what they were watching nor did he particularly care. He could feel himself falling asleep on the couch and decided to head to bed, looking over to see if Emma was even still awake. She was lying on the other couch, her legs curled up to her chest, her eyes barely open.

"Goodnight Emma," Killian whispered, accidentally startling her awake.

"Oh okay. Goodnight Killian," Emma said softly, her voice cracking in her sleepy state.

"Are you going to bed soon?" He asked quietly, putting the palm of his head absent-mindedly against the top of her head and stroking a little of her hair. He meant to pull away but she didn't stop him, just nuzzling into his warm hand and nodding to him before turning her eyes back to the TV. Killian thought about staying up with her but his body said otherwise and he reluctantly left her by the couch to head upstairs, sighing a little to himself.

* * *

The bed was comfy against his chest and his breathing was even and slow as Killian slept. The house was quiet, a very little amount of light coming through the window. Killian's eyes fluttered a little in his dream but he seemed to be fast asleep until:

 _Bang_!

Killian sat up with a start. "What the…," His head felt fuzzy, his body still half asleep from his dream. He sat up a little, having no idea whether he had been asleep long but knowing that something must have woken him up. Rubbing his eyes with his palm, Killian tried to figure out where he was and what was happening around him. The clock on his bedside table read 1:15 am and he was almost positive he had gone to bed before 12. Shaking his head, Killian lay his head back down on the pillow, fully prepared to cozy back up into his blankets and fall asleep until he heard a little yelp from outside his door.

"Emma?" Killian mumbled, lifting his head again to get a good look at the doorway but he couldn't see anything in the dark. "Oh god," He mumbled, forcing himself out of the bed. Killian looked out into the hallway but no one was there either. The whole house seemed pitch black except for a dim light shining under Emma's door. He truly thought out his options but in the end Killian decided it was best to make sure she was okay and found himself walking down the hallway to knock softly on her door. Emma opened it quickly, trying to make out Killian's figure in the dark.

"Killian?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, sorry to bother you, I just wanted to see if you were okay I heard a bang," Killian whispered to her. Subconsciously, he felt himself looking across the hall to see if David's door was open but he was either still out, or was fast asleep since the door was shut tight.

"Oh I'm sorry! I couldn't sleep so I made some hot chocolate but I couldn't really see up here," Emma blushed, "I must have hit the wall harder then I thought."

"Oh?" Killian chuckled, "Well I'll be next door if you still can't sleep."

"Well I can't but you don't have to stay up with me," Emma replied quickly, giving him a little shrug and moving back from the door into her room. Did she want him to stay up with her?

"I don't mind staying up," Killian said, the words escaping his lips before he could stop them.

"Okay," Emma smiled at him. They both stood there rather awkwardly, neither knowing what to do until Emma stood back nodding for him to come inside.

Her room was just like Emma was, with pictures strung up on the walls, and a big bed covered in pillows and heavy blankets in the center of the room. She had dream catchers that lined her windowpane and little lights on around the room that reminded Killian of the way the sunset light had touched her skin.

He wasn't sure what he expected for Emma's room but he had hoped it would turn her off to him. It did not. He wanted to regret walking in here but absolutely no part of him felt anything but relaxed, even as she closed the door behind him, following him closely. Killian sat down on a plush little chair by her window, leaving Emma to sit on top of her bed to sip her hot chocolate and stare at him from her comforter.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes, the only noise being Emma as she sipped at her drink and Killian's little chuckles as he listened to her mouth sipping. She make a sound of disinterest and he turned to her, watching Emma's face display her grumpiness as she reached for the drawer next to her bed, pulling something out to put on the top of her drink.

"What is that?" Killian asked her, honestly curious.

"Cinnamon," Emma blushed.

"Cinnamon in hot cocoa AND you love onion rings? Oh no," Killian shook his head at her, giving her a face of full disappointment that she just couldn't resist laughing at, her laugh contagious to his smile, "I cannot sit here another moment," He said, trying not to laugh but failing miserably, falling victim to Emma's gaze.

"Everyone has a weakness!" Emma argued back, "What's yours?" She raised her eyebrows mischievously at him, waiting for a response.

"Apparently my bloke's blonde little sister," Killian laughed, raising an eyebrow back at her. She squinted at him in an attempt to see if he was joking or not but seemed to decide to take it as a compliment.

"You and your remarks," Emma noted, shaking her head at him.

"What about them?"

"You must use them on every girl you meet," Emma said back lightly, "I'm sure you are quite the ladies man back home."

"Not quite," Killian blushed, scratching absently at the back of his head. He didn't want to get into this but he couldn't help himself. He wanted to talk to her.

"What? No woman back home waiting for you?" Emma asked, genuine interest in her voice, although Killian wondered if she meant for it to come off that way.

"Not anymore, lass," He said bitterly, feeling his jaw clench a little at the thought of Milah.

"What happened?"

"She left me… for someone better then I was," Killian said, giving Emma a tight smile. It was the truth. Short, simple, but the truth after all.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Fate has a way of bringing people where they belong right?" Killian smiled sadly and Emma nodded in agreement, hearing her own words said back to her.

"I guess they do," Emma agreed, looking down at her phone with a wondering expression on her face. The look only lasted a second though and she turned her attention almost immediately back to Killian, smiling at him.

"But enough about me," Killian said, looking suspiciously at Emma, "Why are you up Emma?"

"No reason," Emma said quickly, "I just keep getting headaches and they sometimes keep me up at night. It's probably just a leftover hangover," Emma shrugged.

"How long have you had them for?"

"I'm not sure… I get them ever once in awhile. Mostly at school so it's weird that I'm getting them now."

"At school?" Killian asked, his eyebrows scrunching up in confusion.

"Yeah… Or if I read too long or have to drive or…," Emma's words were quickly cut off but bursts of laughter from Killian, who was staring at her in disbelief.

"Really, Swan? Really?"

"Yes… Why are you laughing?" Emma said defensively, crossing her arms in front of her. Killian shook his head at her, scanning the room until he saw what he was looking for. He got up quietly, still chuckling to himself.

"Do you have trouble reading? Seeing the TV?" Killian asked, picking up the pair of thick black-rimmed glasses that were sitting on Emma's bureau. She blushed when he turned to her, swaying the glasses around his finger, his tongue out of his mouth in a playful manner.

"Nooo no no no I haven't needed those in years! This is definitely different! I don't even know why those are out! This is different! Killian!" Emma shouted at him as he walked up to her. He seemed to ignore her argument. She tried to swat his hands away, yelling that he was wrong but she was no match for the strong teen who simply glided the glasses over her eyes, moving her hair away from her face so that the rims could fit behind her ears. She groaned in annoyance, finally giving in to him.

Killian backed up a few feet, admiring Emma with a huge smile on his face. "Whatt," Emma asked, looking defeated at him, her hands lying lazily on her bed her eyes staring at him through the thick glasses, "How bad do I look?"

"You're beautiful," Killian smiled at her, still standing. They looked at each other, smirking at the other. She gave him a small smile from her bed, patting next to her for him to sit down. He obliged, sitting closely but keeping his hands in his own lap while hers lay on the bed close to him. He eyed her palm, itching to reach for her and trying not to focus on the fact that even swiping her hair away from her face had made happiness spread through him like fire. He wanted more.

"Can you see now?" Killian whispered to her. She blushed a little at him, nodding her head.

"Don't make it a big deal," Emma whispered. Killian laughed loudly and Emma reached for him quickly, covering his mouth with her hand and sh-ing him, "Okay okay you were right! But you're going to wake the whole house up," She giggled. Killian apologized softly, lifting his hand to hers.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to grab you like that," Emma mumbled.

"It's quite alright," He said, his hand still holding onto hers. She moved away from him, pulling her hand back with little effort, Killian releasing his grasp. The movement felt like a spike to Killian's chest and he felt his smile fading. It was early and he was still sitting on Emma's bed when he should be in his own, "I hope you can sleep better now. Let me know if the glasses help you see," He tried to joke, smiling a little at her and seeing her smile back at him.

"Thank you," She whispered, continuing to stare at him until his eyes met hers. Killian wondered if she wanted him here with her, he could feel the way she looked at him, and confusion swirled through his mind. It was time to leave or it was time to make a move. Killian looked down at her, her eyes filled with want. Maybe she did want him to stay. Maybe she did want him to kiss her against her soft lips and push her gently back into her pillows until her back arched up to him, wanting more of him. No. She didn't want that. Her phone buzzed softly in her hand, the name _Neal,_ emblazoned across the top. No. She did not want Killian.

"I'd better go," He said slowly, feeling his jaw tighten and without another glance, he stepped back out into the hallway and made a break to his own room, shutting the door behind him and taking a deep breath. He was falling fast for a girl who didn't want him.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma watched as the days turned into weeks under the summer skies in New Hampshire. As the days got longer and hotter, more and more tourists made their way through the little town, keeping Granny's busy, and Emma on her feet at all hours. Not that Emma minded. She liked having something to do, and it was always nice to see a costumer smiling in pleasure at the taste of her family's homemade chocolate chip pancakes.

David helped with the restaurant when he could, but since he had come home for the summer, he had begun a search for a real job. Although as far as Emma was concerned, all that meant was David sitting around at home with a newspaper of job openings on the table and nothing really happening.

"Alright, I'm off to the restaurant," Emma said one Friday morning, rushing past David to grab an apple before heading out to work for another long shift with just her and her father. David was thoroughly focused, barely noticing Emma as she ran by. Emma sighed, grabbing an apple and looking around the table at all the newspaper clippings and articles. In the corner of the table, Emma noticed her glasses. She looked to David but he seemed to have not even noticed their presence, and Emma walked over to them as she bit into her apple. A little sticky note was stuck below the glasses that read "For your headaches – Killian". Emma rolled her eyes, picking up the glasses she had always hated and looking them over. Ever since their late night talk, Killian had become a bit protective of her and Emma couldn't help but laugh at his attempts to push her glasses on her, constantly reminding her that glasses did not define someone's personality. Unfortunately, she disagreed. "And where's Killian?" She huffed.

"I think he might already be at Granny's. He said something about helping dad out today in the kitchen since you're always busy on the floor," David said absent-mindedly, his eyes more focused on the job interview list in front of him.

"Well we could always use an extra pair of hands," Emma said, coughing loudly in David's direction, hoping he would take the hint. He looked up at her for only a moment and Emma pocketed her glasses quickly, determined not to bring up why Killian was writing her notes on her old lenses. David didn't seem to notice though, or didn't care, his eyes moving back to the newspaper as he rolled his eyes at her voice.

"You HAVE to have found something in that newspaper that you like," Emma groaned, clear annoyance in her voice but David continued to ignore her, "DAVID!" Emma yelled again, this time walking over and snatching the newspaper from his hands.

"Hey!" David yelled back, trying to reach for the paper but Emma was holding it out of reach, scanning all the red circles quickly.

"These are all law enforcement jobs…" Emma noticed, her eyebrows raised as she read through the options. She turned back to David, who was still at the kitchen table, watching her reaction idly. He looked nervous, as if it was a secret he wasn't sure he was ready to tell. Emma could see the way he was determinedly focusing on biting his thumbnail as he nodded his head yes. Disbelief crossed Emma's face. "You've got to be kidding me," Emma laughed. She really didn't mean to laugh as much as she did, but the laughter just kept coming and Emma covered her mouth as she stared at David.

"What.." David started but Emma kept giggling. "What's happening," David shook his head at her, watching her giggling turn to full fledged laughter in the middle of the kitchen. "Are you mocking me?" David stared at the laughing teen, who was now holding her sides, waving her hand at David not to mind her. Her laughter continued to fill the room though and David didn't know whether to laugh with her or be upset. Instead he just watched her with confusion, waiting for her fit to pass.

"OH jeez David! God forbid you just protect me as a brother. Now you want to protect me with the entire law enforcement behind you?!" Emma shook her at him, still giggling. David's shoulders relaxed. She wasn't mocking him.

"THAT is what you were laughing at?!"

"Well you're ridiculous!" Emma yelled back, her laughter a bit more under control.

"Yup! Guess you'll actually be following my rules now," David smirked back at her, making her shake her head back at him, still in shock.

"We'll see," Emma said, sticking her tongue out a little at him but handing him back the newspaper, still giggling slightly, "But THAT. THAT is out," Emma said seriously, pointing down at a red circle over 'PLYMOUTH STATE CAMPUS POLICE JOB OPENING".

"We'll see," David repeated back to her, immediately covering his face as Emma swatted at him, "Someone's going to have to look out for you!"

"Yeah, ME. I have and always will take care of myself," Emma said, a little too seriously then she meant. David just gave her a look, his mouth opened like he was debating starting this conversation again but Emma looked away from him, she didn't have time for this right now.

"I'm sorry I laughed. But you are ridiculous!" Emma said, turning the conversation back to David.

"Yeah yeah," He smiled a little, knowing full well that she was avoiding a conversation.

"Alright… well I need to go… But good luck okay?" Emma said to David as she rushed out of the kitchen, slipping her glasses over her face away from David's questioning eyes. He yelled a thank you in return and watched her for a second longer before he turned his attention back to the job listings in front of him. Emma smiled a little in return but quickly changed her focus to her watch. It was almost 9 am, and the breakfast rush had already commenced. Cursing loudly, Emma ran for David's car.

"I really need my own car," Emma mumbled to herself, as she piled in. She knew David would need his car later tonight but he didn't mind letting her take it to work when she was running late. Unfortunately, Emma was almost always running late. She silently cursed David for distracting her from leaving but knew better then to blame him entirely. Instead, she turned the keys in the ignition and took off down the road towards downtown, her apron lying on the seat beside her and her hair already up and ready for the day. She may have a bone to pick with Killian but she also had a job to do. And she was late.

* * *

Killian's fingers worked expertly at the grittle in Granny's diner. A white apron covered his usual black attire but flour covered most of his shirt regardless. "Well look at you! You're pretty good at that," Leo said loudly to Killian, hitting him on the back proudly.

"Yes well, I've always been one for doing things on my own," Killian said back, flipping pancakes and throwing some bacon next to them, "That did include cooking unfortunately," He added, chuckling.

"Oh yeah? No one around at home to make you a nice homemade meal?" Leo asked, the father in him seeming to shine through his bald little head.

"Not for me, no," Killian replied, his eyes still on the grittle, his hand moving to the back of his neck.

"Well regardless of where you've been, we're just glad to have you here," Leo smiled at him, "That's what I've always said."

"I quite like that," Killian said as he shook the spatula at Leo, "I'm afraid I might have to steal that one from you," He added, thankful that that was all Leo had to say about the subject.

"But do remind me one night to getcha a nice homemade meal, okay? Nothing beats it. And Emma would probably kill for one too. Considering," Leo added.

"Considering what?" Killian asked softly, but Leo seemed to have turned his attention back to the bustling kitchen of Granny's, where deliverymen were piling through the back door.

Killian looked questioningly at him for a second longer, but seemed to realize that the conversation was over and turned his attention away from Leo.

Killian found that he got along easily with David's parents and he enjoyed working in the diner when given the opportunity to do so. They had even helped him rent a car to get him around town for which he was beyond grateful.

In the past couple of weeks, he had started coming in to help with the kitchen more and more since David was busy with his own life and Killian had never been one to sit around by himself. It also just so happened that Emma worked most days Killian did, although he wasn't sure he wanted to admit she was a reason he came to work so often. Today though, Ruby was the only one bustling around on the floor, and Killian couldn't help but look at the door every couple of minutes, waiting for a certain someone. _Considering what?_ Killian thought, wondering what secrets Emma was keeping from him. Fortunately there was no time to dwell during the morning rush at Granny's.

"Not to be rude here, but I'm not even supposed to be working. Where is Emma?!" Ruby yelled to the back window, poking her head in.

"Is she working today?" Killian asked, avoiding Ruby's gaze.

"Well she works everyday you do soo I'm going to assume so," Ruby shot back.

"What can I say? I'm a handy man to have around," Killian whispered back to her, but it didn't phase her in the slightest.

"Says the guy who hasn't stopped looking at the door since he got here," Ruby whispered back. They both looked around the kitchen to be sure no one had heard her, but everyone seemed distracted by the busy morning.

"She's just a girl, Ruby. I'm a man. I think I'll be okay," Killian shook his head, done talking about this with Emma's best friend.

At that moment though, the front bell went off and the teenage blonde pushed her way through the little restaurant. "Hi! Hi! Sorry I'm here," Emma blurted out, clearly out of breath from the run up the stairs. Killian's smirk turned into a smile as they made eye contact.

"Hi Killian!" Emma shouted over the counter, flashing him a big smile before disappearing into the closet, trying to shrug off her jacket.

"Um hi," Killian stuttered, flustered for words.

"Mhm. You wish," Ruby whispered, laughing at Killian before turning back to the counter, grabbing ready plates of food off of the window.

Killian felt himself blushing as he turned back to the food. He didn't know why he was trying to convince Ruby of anything. He knew that even Ruby could see the sexual tension between him and Emma. Unfortunately, everything with Killian Jones meant sexual tension. That didn't mean much in Killian's book. Girls always felt sexual tension with him.

"Wow look at you," Emma laughed at him, smiling at the flour on his shirt. Killian looked at her distractedly but smiled back at her. "You like?" He asked, accentuating his arms to allow a full view of his pancake–batter covered body.

"Obviously," Emma flirted back, pretending to eye him in his apron.

"Take a good look, love," Killian replied, raising his eyebrows back at her but she just giggled, making Killian want to smile largely at the young teen. She was wearing the glasses Killian had left for her on the table that morning and as much as Killian hated to admit it, she looked even better then before. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something but before they could talk anymore, Emma's father had pushed her out of the kitchen, platters of food being shoved into her arms already.

"We'll talk later," Emma whispered as she passed, her warm body brushing against his before she exited the kitchen.

Killian tried to get a good view of her from the kitchen ledge, maneuvering himself around the grittle to get her attention but Emma was busily handing out breakfast platters, already in a business mindset for the day with her hair up in a high ponytail and those black rimmed glasses over her eyes. Killian sighed, deciding to just focus on his job rather then the waitress on the other side of the window. He had only taken a few pancakes off though, when he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket and Emma's name flashing across the screen.

The message _Lunch?_ was flashing under her name. Killian smiled at his phone, looking up to meet Emma's eye from across the restaurant. He gave her a little nod and she nodded back. Agreement made. He'd see her at lunch.

* * *

"I like your glasses," Killian whispered into Emma's ear, his hand resting on the back of her shoulder as he crept up behind her. She jumped in surprise and he chuckled at her reaction. It was already one in the afternoon and the restaurant had gone quiet until the dinner rush later that night. As promised, Emma had grabbed them each a grilled cheese for lunch and was waiting for him in one of Granny's booths when he had surprised her. Killian had done his best to clean himself up but seemed to have failed miserably by the look of Emma's face. She didn't say anything though, just watching him look over their lunch, waiting for that nod in approval. He smiled at her. Emma had grabbed him French fries and herself some onion rings to go with their meals, his favorite as she knew, and she had already begun munching on hers before he arrived.

"Thanks," She blushed, letting him slide in across from her and grab his end of the meal.

"Mm. I am starving," Killian replied, biting into an end of the sandwich and groaning in pleasure, "Oh fuck that is amazing." His eyes closed, enjoying his sandwich like it was his last meal.

"Please stop groaning like that," Emma laughed, avoiding Killian's gaze, "I was doing so fine until that came out."

"Why? You don't like the sound of me enjoy myself?" He smirked back, sending goose bumps down Emma's spine. She just looked at him, vengeance written all over her face. She reached for her own sandwich and took a large bite, moaning loudly in his direction. "Fuck that's good," Emma whispered, letting her head fall back and leaving her neck exposed as she groaned in pleasure. Killian's smile faded.

"See my point?" Emma finished, returning to her normal position and taking another bite of her food. Killian had to keep his mouth from dropping in astonishment. Emma was always snappy with her comebacks but he hadn't expected her voice to cause a knot in his stomach like that. He wanted to hear it again.

"Not really, love. I quite enjoyed that," He whispered back, winking at her. Emma didn't seem to take his comment to heart though, just blushing a little and moving back to her meal. After all, Killian Jones was sexual tension and that was all he was. He clenched his jaw, annoyed mostly with himself for speaking before thinking.

"Why do you always do that?" Emma asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Do what?"

"Make all these sexual innuendos one minute and then have a real conversation with me the next?" Emma laughed, "Don't think I don't understand a cover when I see one." Killian looked stupefied at her.

"A cover?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah, a cover," Emma shrugged, continuing to eat her sandwich, "something you feel comfortable in like hitting on girls," Emma pointed at him, "when I know you really care for the people in your life."

"Well I could say the same for you miss 'I can take care of myself'," Killian replied, making little air quotes with his fingers. Emma opened her mouth in shock.

"I do not…"

"OH yes you do! You love that David takes care of you. You love that you have parents who care for you. You love that I care for you," Killian waved a fry at her, matter-of-factly, as if he could see right through her façade like an open book.

"OH really? You care for me?" Emma said, raising her eyebrows at him in curiosity. Killian opened his mouth to respond but thought it best to just stay quiet, nodding his head at her instead, agreeing with her statement.

"How kind of you," Emma taunted at him, "My prince charming."

"Hey!" Killian shot, "I am not a prince charming… I'm like… the pirate if anything."

"Fine you can be the pirate," Emma giggled, rolling her eyes at him. Killian relaxed, laughing at her and trying to enjoy the rest of his meal without making sexual innuendos at Emma. He was constantly surprised at how easily she broke down his walls but somehow she always got in. He watched her as she ate her meal. She seemed completely relaxed around him. He wondered a little if he was breaking down her walls. _Probably not,_ He decided, but a little glimmer of hope sat in his chest.

"Your father has promised me a homemade meal," Killian said suddenly, thinking back to his earlier conversation.

"Did he now?"

"Yeah… any suggestions?" He asked her.

"Ohhh I think we might have to go with steak and mashed potatoes… oh and green beans!" Emma's face practically lit up at the thought of her meal, "OH I would kill for that."

"So I've heard," Killian laughed, "why's that?"

"What do you mean…" Emma asked, looking quizzically at him.

"You're father said that you really loved homemade meals because… well I'm not sure," Killian explained, "I thought maybe there was a reason behind it."

"Oh?… can't a girl just like her homemade meals?" Emma shot back, moving away from him. Killian opened his mouth to keep talking but Emma shushed him, "Look, I should probably get back to work so… if your shifts over you can probably just go home." She stood up from the table, looking around the restaurant, as if looking for an escape from this conversation. Killian could sense the bluntness in her statement, immediately regretting bringing it up whatever _it_ was.

"I'm sorry if I said the wrong thing…" Killian apologized, standing too so that he was still facing Emma, confusion all over his face, "I know you don't like to talk about yourself but..."

"No, I just don't like to be interrogated by people that barely know me," Emma said back, picking up the trash from the table.

"Barely know you? Emma why would you say that?"

"Because you think you've found an unkown secret because I 'enjoy a homemade meals'… I'm not an open book Killian. You don't know me like you think you do." And with that Emma walked away, pushing past Killian and behind the kitchen doors, leaving him to stand there stupefied as she disappeared behind him. _What just happened?_

* * *

Emma breathed heavily behind the doors of the kitchen. Her father must have been helping costumers because he wasn't at the grill and she was grateful for the silence. She wasn't one to cry in front of others. She knew she had overreacted with Killian and a part of her twisted up in regret at how harsh she had come off but why would he have asked her that? There was no reason for him to question her. Why did people always have to pry into others lives? She crossed her arms over her chest as if in some way her arms could help protect her from showing too much emotion.

 _I know you don't like to talk about yourself but.._ No. He didn't know. He didn't know her. Emma sniffled a little, trying to shake her head clear of thoughts of Killian. She had been doing so good today, barely looking at him besides to ask him to lunch, something he had eagerly agreed too… but why had he so readily agreed? Emma groaned in annoyance. She wasn't a good person for Killian to talk to and she felt that that was what he wanted or needed or whatever it was that he had come here in search for. She had let him into her room, let him into her life and she wondered now if she had made a mistake. Why had she let him in so easily? Had he already figured her out? No. There was no way he knew about her past… There was just no way. She had been so careful not to say anything. And yet here was her past, facing her like a bullet to the heart. She inhaled sharply, feeling the tears welling behind her eyes. "IT doesn't matter. It's over… It's over…," She told herself, her chest tightening as memories flooded through her brain.

 _"We don't want her… Take her back."_

"STOP!" Emma yelled to herself, trying to stop the memories.

He wasn't here to take her back. Killian was not here to hurt her. He was a nice guy. Emma tried to nod to herself to bring herself back to reality. There was no reason for her to sit here pondering Killian's intentions. She wasn't in danger anymore. "You are Emma Swan… And you are okay," Emma whispered to herself, tightening her arms around her chest to give herself a hug. _Get up,_ She thought, _It's time to move forward._ And without a second thought, Emma brushed her hair back into place, fixed her glasses, and grabbed some meals off of the counter to serve out to the few people still in the restaurant. By the time she had walked out of the kitchen, Killian was gone, and Emma could sigh in relief.

* * *

It was dark out by the time Emma left work. She was exhausted but she didn't care. She needed the distraction. It was weird how much better she felt when she was busy, or when she got those adrenaline highs that made her heart pound through her chest. At the moment though, she was alone in a car, driving back home. Her heart wasn't racing, there was no one to talk to, and she didn't want to think anymore. She needed a distraction…. Now.

The wheels skidded when she pulled over, her hands moving a little more forcefully then she intended to as she pulled the car to the side of the road. Pulling out her phone, she opened the messages from Neal, her fingers pushing buttons before the movements even got to her brain. She didn't want to think, she wanted to act.

 _I need a distraction. Perhaps something to take the edge off._ She sent it.

 _What kind of drugs are you into now?_ Neal asked. She sighed, she couldn't do that again. Not to her parents.

 _No drugs. Alcohol works fine._

 _Okay then come over._

Emma stared down at the message, biting her lip as she considered the offer. She didn't know if Neal was still with his new girlfriend but chances were he wouldn't tell her until after he had made his move. No, she couldn't do that.

 _Doesn't your cousin still work at The Rabbit Hole?_ She asked quickly, she knew Neal had been to the bar before underage. The bar was ID at the door. Easy.

 _Yes._

 _Good. Let's go._

 _Good to see Emma Swan is still a rebel. Lol I'll pick you up in 20._

She clicked her phone closed, feeling her chest start to move again. Good. She needed some release.

* * *

No one was home when she got there, her parent's most likely still at the restaurant closing up, and David and Killian out with friends for the weekend. Emma silently thanked the gods for giving her this opportunity as she ran upstairs and slipped on a pair of tight jeans, wedges, and a low cut top that she knew would start a lecture with her parents if they were to see her. She took a look in the mirror, deciding that she looked decent enough even with the glasses. Nevertheless, she took them off and tossed them aside. She wouldn't need them anyways. She could see just fine… mostly. By the time she was dressed Neal was waiting outside, eagerly waving up at her to come down and she smiled back, heading downstairs quickly before anyone got home.

"Damn," He breathed, watching Emma walk down the steps of her house. Emma just smiled politely at him, feeling a little deju vu as she stood in front of him, his mouth hanging open.

"Sorry… I just mean you look… Damn," Neal laughed again, his eyes trailing over her body like an animal looking at its prey.

"Uh… thanks. You look pretty nice yourself," Emma replied, smiling at him. He seemed to take the compliment, smirking to himself as he got back in the car. Emma sighed in relief that he had taken the lie. After all, he looked like he always did with old jeans and a backwards baseball cap. The only possible nice part of his outfit was his black button down shirt, which didn't fit any other part of his ensemble but must have been his last minute attempt at looking nice. Not that it mattered to Emma. Neal wasn't the major part of tonight. She just needed something, _anything_ , and she knew that he could get her that.

The drive was quick and Neal blasted music the whole time, giving Emma an excuse not to talk to him. He didn't seem to care whether or not she talked anyways and was focused more on her chest then her face, his eyes glancing over at her the whole drive. Emma instinctively crossed her arms, feeling exposed under his gaze.

"So how do we get in?" Emma asked, forcing him to look her in the eye.

"My cousin's going to open the back door for us. No worries," He winked at her, parking the car and giving his cousin a call to open the door for them. "It's open, let's go."

* * *

Killian sat at the bar, now on his second rum of the night. He sipped it slowly, taking his time. His whole mind seemed fuzzy after his fight with Emma earlier and he just couldn't sit at home alone anymore. David had texted him saying he'd be with Mary Margaret until later but he would join him at the bar soon. Until then, Killian was content to enjoy his drink in silence, hoping to maybe meet someone who could take his mind off of… "Emma?" The words escaped his lips before he could stop himself. No. It couldn't be Emma. She was only 18. And yet a young blonde woman was walking through the bar, a low cut top showing off more skin then entirely necessary and a smirk on her lips that made her seem more confident than she actually was. That was, until her eyes met Killian's.

He could feel the rage building in his chest. That was most definitely Emma. _She should be at home. She should have some damn clothes on_! He thought to himself. He stood up to approach her, knowing full well that his face was reflecting his emotions. But Emma wasn't alone, and behind her appeared a smug little face of a boy that Killian could only remember as the face that broke up him and Emma during the firepit earlier that summer. _Neal._

Killian stayed where he was, watching as the boy wrapped his arm around Emma and pull her close to him. Killian's jaw clenched. Emma's eyes were still on his though and fear in her eyes. _Good,_ He thought, shaking his head at her before turning his attention back to the bar so that he could down the rest of his drink.

"Killian…" Her soft voice whispered behind him.

"Go home Emma," He said back roughly, waving the bartender to bring another drink for him.

"No," She scoffed behind him, making him look at her.

"What'd you just say?" Killian asked her, feeling his temper rising. She had insulted him more then he thought possible and yet here she was, still not listening to a word he was saying.

"I said no," Emma repeated, louder, "You don't control me."

"Yeah no one controls you… I got that," Killian said back to her, trying to keep his voice level as they talked. He didn't want her here. He didn't want Emma to see him upset and that's exactly what would happen if she stayed here. Especially if she was here with _him._

"2 shots please," Neal yelled happily, running up beside Emma and interrupting their conversation. Killian stayed silent, letting the bartender serve the two 18 year olds and watching them toss back their shots, Neal laughing as he drank. Emma drank too, but her eyes stayed on Killian's, watching his reaction. He made sure not to give her one.

"Well, I'm not going to stick around and watch you make a mockery of yourself," Killian whispered, trying to push past the two of them to pay for his drinks.

"I thought you were the prince charming," Emma whispered.

"I think I've made it clear that I'm the pirate," Killian repeated back to her, meeting her eyes. She stared up at him, a flicker of something else crossing her face. For a moment he wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her so they could just go home together but he knew that it would only drive her farther away from him. He almost reached up for her, his hands twitching towards her but he stopped himself, his eyes finding Neal's back and he practically scoffed.

"Goodluck with _that_ , love," He whispered back, eyeing the boy next to her who was still busily chanting for more shots. Emma didn't say anything, just watching him while he pushing past her, paid his tab, and exited the bar.

Killian tried to keep himself level as he left, only groaning in annoyance after he had reached the inside of his rental car. He was fuming, but his anger wasn't entirely because of Emma. In fact, most of it was to himself and he knew deep down he shouldn't have gotten mad at her.

Sighing, Killian put the key in the ignition as if he was to drive home but he knew he wasn't going anywhere. He was still a little buzzed and he told himself that that was the reason why he wasn't driving yet. Unfortunately, he knew that his drinking was not the only thing that was keeping him here. Sighing to himself, he relaxed in his seat. He'd give her an hour, max, before he checked on her.

* * *

Emma watched the clock go by and drinks get served. She didn't want to focus on anything in particular, just enjoying herself. She sat in her chair, leaning again Neal, laughing over something she couldn't even remember. She must have been at the bar for a least a half hour and she was already well off her rocker. She looked down at her arm and saw 5 black marks across her forearm. _4 drinks. What were those drinks?_ Emma thought to herself. She was pretty sure they were 3 shots and the drink in front of her… whatever that was.

"I missed this," Neal whispered in Emma's ear, reminding her of his presence and the fact that she was leaning into his shoulder while his arm lay around her waist, holding her in place. She thought about moving but he felt warm and it somehow comforted her. Did she need to be comforted? Yes. There was a reason she had started drinking. Oh yes. _Killian._ Emma groaned.

"Dude, fuck guys," Emma slurred her words, taking another sip of whatever her drink was, tasting the carbonated malt taste of a PBR beer.

"Hey offensive," Neal laughed, making her laugh a little harder then she thinks she would have at any other moment in time.

"Well good! That includes you! You have a girlfriend!" Emma laughed loudly, waving her hands in his direction. She could see him watching her, a neutral expression on his face, "And I'm… Well I'm here. So."

"I left her," He said to her, making her twist in shock and make a loud and obnoxious gasp.

"What?! For me?!" Emma was thoroughly surprised, and rather unsure about how she felt about the whole thing. She was pretty sure she was just in shock.

"Yes. I'm a jealous man, Emma. I don't like when other men go after what I want. And I want you," He must have meant it to come off like he cared for her but Emma couldn't have found it funnier, shaking her head at him and smirking.

"You left your girlfriend because of Killian?" Emma cackled even harder, turning away from him. Neal just looked at her seriously and she could feel his annoyance. And yet, he hadn't even recognized Killian earlier?

"You don't want me, Neal and I can prove it to you," Emma said, matter-of-factly. Neal just smirked though, reaching his arms out for her to come back to his side but she tried to dodge him, knocking over her beer onto her jeans.

"Whoops!" She laughed, trying to brush the liquid off of the jeans but her hands were fumbling and she wasn't getting anywhere, "Shit. Okay I'll prove it after I wash this out I guess!" Neal nodded to her, watching her wobble her way to the bathroom. Emma's hands were still trying to brush off the liquid as if it weren't seeping into her clothes, finding a nice narrow hallway leading to her destination. Thankfully, she managed to make her way to the bathroom without bumping into too any other things, and began using the sink water to try to wash out the smell of beer from her clothes.

 _What am I doing?_ She thought, laughing at herself washing in a bar bathroom. But Emma could feel her adrenaline pumping through her veins where she stood.

She had a way of proving things to Neal. In fact, she had come very close to kissing him just minutes before, probably too close, but she didn't particularly care right now. She wanted to show him how little connection was between them and that was the best way for her to show him. At least she thought so at this moment right here. After all, there was never a spark in their kiss, ever and Neal knew that.

She tried to look at herself in the mirror. Everything was pretty foggy and she wondered if it was the alcohol or the fact that her glasses weren't with her that was making her vision seem funny. "Whatever," She laughed to herself. She was having fun and that was all she really cared about right now.

Deciding she looked acceptable, Emma left the bathroom, walking back down the little hallway towards the main room of the bar, determined to prove her point to Neal. As she walked out, someone was approaching her, that familiar mop of brown hair on the top of his head.

"Emma…" He seemed to have a question for her, or a statement, Emma didn't know, she didn't think too much.

"Just the man I was looking for," She whispered to him, tugging on his black shirt, so that she could pull him closer to her. He gasped in shock but Emma just laughed. The whole room seemed rather fuzzy but she knew what she was doing. She just needed him to see her point.

"What are you..."

"Sh," Emma breathed, feeling his breath on her lips. He smelled of alcohol, just like her and she had expected it to turn her off but it didn't, it gave her more confidence, "I told you we wouldn't work. And I told you I'd prove to you why," Emma finished, her fingers now wrapped firmly around his collar, forcing his lips down to hers. But he didn't stop her. He let her pull his lips down to meet hers, only moving closer to her and welcoming the movement.

She kissed him soft at first, expecting him to pull away after a second but he didn't. He kissed her harder and she pulled his body against hers, fueled by the building heat between them, their breath scattered in a moment of clarity with their lips locked. Emma gasped as a spark of electricity sent goose bumps down her spine. _What was that?_

Emma hadn't expected that kind of reaction. His mouth was still against hers, opening up to her in an almost rough and needy way but not quite, like he was holding himself back from her.

It wasn't typically Neal's style, and a knot started to form in the pit of her stomach. Maybe they did have a connection? His lips felt so soft, his hands rough and calloused against her bare skin but he wasn't touching her on her ass or her chest like Neal usually grabbed for. His hands were pressed on the small of her back, his other moving down her thigh, pulling her leg up around his waist. It was hot… too hot and she wanted it.

Emma felt his breath against her lips and he released her enough to lower his mouth to her collarbone, kissing every inch of her clavicle. Emma tried to muffle her groan. She wanted his lips across her body, and down her neck to her stomach and… oh.

"No. Neal…" Emma whispered, pushing back a little to stop this from moving any further, knowing full well that she shouldn't want this.

"Neal...?" The voice whispered, a rough Irish accent escaping the lips of the man Emma's fingers were clinging to.

"Killian?!" Emma practically yelled out, stepping back from him, covering her mouth.

"What did you… " Killian didn't need to finish that sentence. He was still so close to her but he had ripped his hands away from her. He was brushing through his hair instead, his jaw clenched.

"Wow," Emma whispered softly, touching her lips where that spark of electricity had shot down her body. The knot in her stomach loosened. She didn't have a connection with Neal. Neal…

"Emma…" This time it was Neal, his head popping into the hallway, where Emma and Killian were mere inches from each other, Killian's collar practically ripped open, his face flushed.

"Neal… I thought… "

"Save it," Neal spat at the two of them, turning to storm away from them.

"I thought it was you!" Emma yelled out.

"Fuck off Emma," Neal barked at her, "OH and by the way… I didn't break up with Tamara but I was seriously considering it!"

His words carried to Killian and Emma who just stared after him, neither of them moving. Killian shook his head, turning away from Emma. His face looked angry and upset and Emma stood back from him, nervous.

"You thought I was _him_?" Killian said finally, slamming his fist against a wall to relieve some anger.

"At first… but…Neal never kissed me like… like that," Emma stammered, trying to think clearly but her mind wouldn't, sticking to her inebriated state. He laughed a little at that.

"You shouldn't have done that, Swan," Killian finally said, his voice still rough from his lack of air and he was staring down that the ground, avoiding her gaze.

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered, but Killian just shook his head and sighed before finally standing to face her.

"Don't be. That guy needed a reality check," Killian smirked a little, still avoiding Emma's eyes but just his smile made Emma feel better.

"I'm still sorry," She laughed.

"I'm not," He whispered, too quietly for Emma to even be sure he had said it, her body still swaying from the alcohol that was moving through her body.

"Anyways," Killian continued, disregarding Emma's questioning gaze, "I think you've got bigger problems then me, love… David's here."

* * *

 _Hahahaha okay I kind of want to apologize because I always do these drunken scenes but this is the last alcohol themed chapter I promise. I just wanted to get that scene out. Thank you to everyone who is following and reviewing! Will hopefully be updating again in the next week!_


	5. Chapter 5

Killian's head felt clouded from Emma's kiss. She had felt so right against him and all he wanted to do was keep kissing her. He wanted to push all thought or reason from his head and wrap his arms around her but he couldn't. Instead, he felt embarrassed sitting beside her. He wanted to reach for her now but she was leaning away from him, her eyes on the floor and her teeth nervously chewing on her lip. Killian breathed out, calming himself before opening his mouth. "Come on Swan. You're brother's just here to take you home," He said to her, reaching out to give her a hand but she ignored him.

"Are you okay love?" Killian asked her quietly but he already knew the answer.

"I didn't mean to kiss you. I forgot my glasses at home. I was… I was a little intoxicated and…" Emma blurted out.

"A little intoxicated?" Killian laughed, instinctively moving out of the way of Emma's hand as she moved to hit him.

"Yes! I mean maybe a bit more then a little but still," Emma laughed.

"It's fine Emma," He said shaking his head.

"No its.."

"Sh," Killian added, placing a finger to her lips and trying not to smirk at her. She rolled her eyes, facing him. She was beautiful, even in her inebriated state, leaning against the wall of a dimly lit bar. Killian looked down and met her bright green eyes looking back at him. She was more then just a beautiful girl. He could see something in her eyes, a glint of something he had seen before. He could look at her forever, but not here, hiding out in a hallway while her brother was out there probably causing a scene. Killian waved his hand a little to remind her that he was still offering it to her and peaked out from the hallway to see if anyone had found them, "Come on, love. We'd better go."

"He's going to yell at me," Emma said quietly.

"Emma," Killian looked back at her, "just take my hand. I'll take care of you."

"You don't need to do that."

"I want to," Killian said simply but Emma just stared at him, looking confused. She looked worn out, like she was already sick of fighting with David before they had even started and it made Killian's heart twist in a desperate need to take care of her.

"Why am I not allowed to take care of you?" Killian asked.

"Because… I… I can't think right now but I have reasons," Emma mumbled, holding the palm of her hand against her forehead.

"Emma," Killian whispered, pulling her hand away from her face, "Trust me."

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to help you."

"Why?"

"Because I care about you!," Killian said back at her, running his hands over his forehead in exasperation.

"Oh…," Emma said, still leaning quietly away from him and Killian could feel the knots in his stomach tightening at every inch she moved away from him. But then, finally, Emma turned and reached out to grasp Killian's hand, giving him little explanation for why but with a small nod she whispered, "let's just get this over with."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"Go Killian," Emma said roughly, nudging him to start walking. He sighed again, not bothering to fight her. She always seemed to get weird when he got sentimental and he wasn't about to push her anymore tonight.

Emma kept her hand in his as they walked around the corner but the bar was still bustling with laughter and chatter, and for a moment Killian wondered if they would even be able to find David in the dim lighting.

"SHE'S ONLY 18!" Killian heard towards his left. _Guess not_.

"KILLIAN! HEY KILLIAN!" David's voice reached Killian's ears and he turned to see Dave pushing through the crowd of people, waving over his friend. Killian felt Emma's hand slip out of his but he only had time to give her a quick glance before David had pushed his way towards them.

"Hey mate," Killian said, more smoothly then he had expected.

"Where's Emma?"

"Um.."

"I'm right here," Emma said loudly, waving to her brother. She looked sober, in control, like she had no fear towards anything her brother would say to her, but she was putting a little too much weight against Killian's side for him to truly believe that.

"Jeez Emma," Killian mumbled, trying to hold her up.

"Sorry I… I'm still a little drunk," Emma murmured, attempting to whisper back to Killian.

"Well that's just SUPER," Killian whispered, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Emma… What are you doing here? How did you even get in here?" David asked, looking between the two of them.

"I came here with a date!" Emma smirked, looking towards Killian who immediately felt the color leaving his face. "Emma… come on," Killian growled at her as David's mouth started to fall open.

"Not me mate!" Killian jumped in, annoyed as he pushed himself in front of Emma. _Was she trying to get him killed by her own brother?_

"Killian… you wouldn't bring her here right? RIGHT?! Who brought you here?! You are in so much trouble Emma…" David started, trying to reach Emma over Killian's shoulders. Fortunately, Killian was taller then David and he seemed to be struggling to reach his sister over Killian's broad shoulders.

"Killian MOVE!"

"No," Killian said with a deep breathe, stopping David's struggles.

"What? Did you just say NO?!"

"Look, can I talk to you for a second?" Killian whispered to his friend who opened his mouth to retaliate, utter confusion crossing his face.

"Uh… I guess… What is happening right now?" David whispered back, looking confused, mad, and rather red in the face.

"She's had a really rough night, Dave. She came here with Neal and he got her drunk and left her here alone. If I hadn't found her I don't know what she would've done," Killian whispered quietly to David, making sure to leave out some important details from the night. Thankfully, Emma stayed behind him, swaying a little and looking towards the ground but otherwise seemingly okay. Neither man was sure if she could hear them but at this point Killian didn't really care. He just wanted to get her home.

"But… She needs to learn Killian," David argued back, looking disappointingly at his younger sister.

"And yelling at her is going to help her? Isn't that your parents job?"

"They don't really do well with parenting Emma… it's complicated…She's complicated," David admitted.

Killian's mind raced with confusion. _What else was she hiding?_ "Yeah," was all Killian managed to say but David wasn't listening anymore.

"I'm not going to yell at her," David nodded to Killian, looking back to Emma who was now meeting his eyes, her arms crossed protectively across her chest. Killian wanted to ask more, but this didn't seem like the time or place so instead he let David move around him and step to Emma's side. "Emma? Are you ready to go home?" David asked her, putting his arms around her waist and letting her calm down in his arms. Emma nodded, slipping her arm around her brother and letting him lead her out to the car.

"I had everything under control," Emma whispered to David.

"Sure you did," David whispered back, nodding for Killian to follow them out.

"I messed up again didn't I?" Emma continued.

"No darling, you're okay," David smiled to her.

* * *

Emma felt warm and fuzzy as she lay in the back of the car. She could hear David talking to her but she was tired and her head hurt so she just lay there, occasionally mumbling in response and hearing him chuckle. Something warm and thick lay over her shoulders and Emma felt the sides, deciding it was a leather jacket. _Perhaps Killian's?_

"Where's Killian?" Emma asked, trying to sit up straight and failing miserably, her body crumpling back into a ball on the seat.

"He drove himself to the bar remember? You need to relax. Actually you both need to relax," David smirked.

"Speak for… speak for yourself," Emma laughed, laying back down on the seat, "Oh no." Emma could feel her stomach sloshing. Her head felt heavy on the seat and she scooched over to the edge, looking at the door.

"What?" David asked, trying to look at Emma and keep an eye on the road.

"Nothing I'm fine…I think," Emma responded, feeling the nausea moving up her throat..

"I'm pulling over."

"You are a smart man," Emma mumbled, burying her head in the leather jacket and hoping her nausea would pass. It did not.

"Do not throw up in this car Emma! I swear to god!" David yelled from the front, pulling the car to the side and throwing Emma's door open.

"I'm not going to… I think I'm goof… nope not good," Emma mumbled, pulling herself to the edge of her seat and feeling the alcohol move rapidly up her esophagus.

"It's a good thing I love you," David said, reaching over to pull his sister's hair out of her face while she evacuated the poison from her body and into the grass.

"Don't ever let me drink again," Emma said, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

"Because that works so well," David mumbled, helping Emma move back into the car. She grunted, pulling the jacket back over her shoulders and ignoring his comments.

"Thank you," Emma whispered, feeling herself drifting in and out of sleep in the back of David's car.

"Hey I'm your brother it's what I do," David replied, looking back at Emma who was barely keeping an eye open to look at him. Emma felt the smile appear on her cheeks before she started to doze off, her head lying on cold leather seats and her body cuddled into Killian's leather jacket.

She wanted to talk to David more and tell him everything she had done wrong in the past couple days but she didn't. She couldn't and she knew that. So instead, she curled into herself and let sleep take her, only waking slightly when David moved her from the car to her bed, whispering a goodnight in her ear and leaving her to fall back asleep in the comfort of her blankets. She was happy, at least she wanted to be, but she couldn't help but miss the leather jacket around her shoulders that smelled of the man sleeping in the room next door.

* * *

Emma woke late the next morning, her head spinning, and her stomach making queasy noises that did not sound okay. "Ugh," She mumbled, pulling her blankets over her head and trying to ignore her feelings of disgust that were creeping up her insides. Peaking out from her eyelids, Emma could catch a glimpse of herself in the mirror. _I need a shower,_ Emma thought to herself, noticing the greasy mess of hair that was now covering her makeup streaked face.

Pulling herself out of bed, Emma stripped from her party clothes, wrapped a towel around herself, and headed straight to the shower across the hall.

"Emma? Is that you?" Killian's voice whispered to her from his room and Emma groaned internally. His door was slightly ajar and he was peaking out at her with a face of determination until he saw that she looked rather displeased and was in nothing but a towel outside of his door.

"Uh… I was just going to ask if we could talk about last night… but it can wait," Killian mumbled, scratching the back of his neck.

"There's nothing to talk about. It was a misunderstanding and it won't happen again. Don't worry about it," Emma replied, turning back to the bathroom.

"Cmon, Swan."

"I'm sorry," Emma said back, her face turning scarlet with embarrassment as she shut the door behind her before Killian got a chance to reply. Her heart was pounding too hard to deal with him right now. She wasn't sure how long she could escape talking but she was going to find out.

Sighing, Emma leaned against the door, sliding to the ground and covering her face in her hands. She felt unsettled as she sat on the cold tile floor but a shower would have to do for now. _Get up, it's okay,_ She told herself and slowly she did get up and turned the water on letting the steam fill the bathroom and trying not to think about anything but cleaning off. Unfortunately, thoughts from last night seemed to keep forcing their way into Emma's head and she groaned. _I have to push him away. Killian would never be allowed to stay here if David found out,_ Emma told herself, trying to convince herself she was doing the right thing. But there in the back of her mind were memories of a knot in her lower abdomen, Killian's mouth against hers, and a want she had never felt before.

"Shit," Emma murmured, feeling butterflies pushing at her insides just thinking about _him_. She leaned against the cold wall of the shower grunting in annoyance and let the water cover her body, hoping the warmth would wash away her thoughts. Pulling her hair back to allow her body to be fully submerged, she scrubbed all of the sweat and dirt off of herself. She could feel a quiver in her stomach though, one that urged her to slip her hands between her thighs and think of nothing but pure bliss and the man across the hall. Slowly she moved her hands around her body, scrubbing every inch of dirt and trying to focus wholeheartedly about anything other then that. _I can't be thinking about him,_ She told herself, pushing any thought of him out of her head. Besides, she had another boy to deal with, Neal. _Neal, oh no,_ once again Emma groaned to herself not wanting to think about him or the fight they would have about this. "What a mess," Emma groaned under the water, removing her hands from her body and back up to her hair. She had too much on her plate for any normal 18 year old and she didn't want to deal with Neal right now. What she wanted to do, was wash the filth from her hair and call Ruby.

Two hours later, Emma's hair was still soaked and pulled up high into a wet, tight bun that weighed about 5 pounds all on it's own. Thankfully though, the air was breezy and warm and was drying her topknot as she walked down the little beach by the lake with Ruby at her side. "Can we please do something fun today," Emma asked Ruby, closing her eyes and feeling the sun burn her cheeks. Somehow the little burn always made her feel better.

"Ohhh of course. What'd you have in mind?" Ruby raised her eyebrows mischievously but Emma just smiled at her.

"Let's go on a hike," She said simply and Ruby's nose crunched up a little in annoyance.

"Exercising hurts my body," Ruby sneered.

"It's good for you," Emma replied, pushing her toes into the sand. It was already almost two in the afternoon so their hike would have to be shorter then usual but still enough to make her sweat out the toxins and anger that seemed to swell in Emma's chest.

"Alright let's head back then. If I'm going to be sweating, I can't be wearing anything jean," Ruby mumbled annoyingly looking down at the barely there jean shorts that did not actually cover anything. Emma snickered at her friend but agreed to turn around, chatting casually about Ruby's night and very carefully avoiding any talk of Emma's.

* * *

"I need coffee. Lots and lots of coffee," Killian mumbled, as he ran his hands through his greasy hair. Approaching David in the kitchen, he moved rhythmically beside his friend, pouring himself a cup from the pot that someone had so thoughtfully made. David nodded in agreement, holding up his own cup before taking a big gulp of the hot drink and laughing as Killian did the same.

"Reminds me of so many mornings in Ireland," David laughed.

"Yeah, _my_ mornings while you watched and laughed," Killian shot back, shoving David in the shoulder.

"Yeah… well do you see now why it's hard for me to relax? I have spent my whole life spending nights like that. Just picking Emma off the ground and dusting her off so she can go make the same mistake the next day."

Killian listened to David, watching those familiar creases in his forehead. David looked tired, overworked, like a father of three kids rather then the brother of one. And then he remembered something David had said at the bar last night. Something about their parents not parenting Emma. "Hey Dave," Killian spoke up.

"Hm?" David asked lazily, rubbing the creases out of his forehead.

"I know I asked last night but… Why is it not your parents job to take care of Emma?"

David sighed and looked silently at the floor. Killian waited patiently, sipping on his coffee. If David didn't want to talk he didn't have to but Killian felt there was more to this story and eventually someone was going to have to explain. It was like there was a big secret looming above everyone's heads and no one felt the need to acknowledge it.

"Emma doesn't do well with parents," David said finally, speaking carefully.

"Why?"

"Bad experiences."

"What does that mean?" Killian looked questioningly at David but David was looking somewhere else, barely answering any questions.

"Maybe you should ask her," David nodded, looking behind Killian towards the back porch where Emma and Ruby were just walking up.

Emma's eyes were on the ground again, avoiding his own and Killian felt his jaw tightening up. He wanted her to look at him, he wanted her to talk to him.

"Hey guys!" Ruby called out, waving a hand at the two boys who just gave a small wave in return, "Jeez did someone die? It's like a morgue in here you're all so quiet," Ruby added, looking repulsively at them.

"Good morning Emma," Killian said loudly, ignoring Ruby's comments.

"Hm?" Emma mumbled, following Ruby through the screen door and heading straight for the stairs, barely stopping when Killian called for her.

"I said good morning lass," Killian said again.

"Morning," Emma replied quickly, not bothering to even glance at them before disappearing into the staircase, pulling Ruby behind her.

"Well that went well," David chuckled.

"Always does," Killian smirked, rolling his eyes and feeling rather embarrassed. The girl really was the most frustrating woman on the planet but Killian didn't feel annoyed with her. He just wanted her to open up to him and he was afraid he was just pushing her farther and farther away. As if David could read his thoughts, Killian felt David giving him a big pat on the back. "Don't take it personally, man. She's 18. She doesn't want to be hanging around with her older brothers.

"I'm not her older brother," Killian stated, trying to push that idea out of everyone's heads before Emma started seeing him as that.

"Last night? The way you helped her get her home and took care of her… Seems pretty brotherly to me. Either that or like a boyfriend but we both know that's not going to happen," David laughed, nudging him.

"You sound so sure," Killian raised his eyebrows at him challengingly but David's smile didn't budge.

"Sorry to tell ya this but if Emma wanted you she would have made a move by now," David explained, shrugging in apology, "I know Emma."

"Yes you do," Killian laughed, shrugging to his friend and forcing the little smirk on his lips out of his mind.

* * *

Emma threw clothes at Ruby and rushed around the room and trying to push spandex on, her new running shorts, and a somewhat acceptable t-shirt for their hike. "What's the rush?" Ruby asked, taking her time to decide what to wear.

"I don't want to lose daylight," Emma said, lightly shooting her friend a smug little smile.

"Orrr you don't want to see Killian again before we leave?" Ruby guessed, crossing her arms across her chest and waiting patiently for Emma to reply. Instead Emma just snapped her fingers and pointed down to the pile of clothes. "Pick something please."

"Come on talk to me!" Ruby groaned, dramatically falling onto Emma's bed. The entire scene made Emma want to punch her in the face but unfortunately Ruby was right. She was hiding something.

"Ruby… I need this hike. I need to clear my mind. I don't want to be the stupid teenager who keeps making mistakes all her life and then sits in her room gossiping about it because she can't figure things out on her own. I'm sick of that… I just… want to hike," Emma sounded so defeated as the words left her mouth and she wondered if Ruby would actually drop the subject. They looked to each other in silence for a minute, Ruby eyeing her questioningly. "Are you alright?" Ruby said finally and Emma nodded.

"Alright. Let's go take this hike then shall we?" Ruby nodded, picking a pair of shorts at random to put on instead of her jeans.

"Thank you," Emma smiled and her friend nodded. Thankfully for Emma, Ruby knew a thing or two about hiding secrets. Especially when it came to Emma's.

Ruby and Emma dressed quickly after that and by the time they left for their hike, the boys had evacuated the kitchen, allowing the girls to be able to leave without an explanation. Stealing Dave's keys, Emma drove the short trip to the start of the mountain she had chosen for the day and Ruby groaned when the car slowed down.

"Cmon, we both know you actually love these hikes," Emma giggled, jumping out of the car and heading down the path to the start of the mountain. Ruby continued to groan, but a little smile played on her cheeks. Despite Ruby's girly and flirty attitude she was incredibly strong and athletic and Emma knew she actually enjoyed herself out here. No one in New Hampshire came here who didn't belong.

"Emma, slow down," Ruby called, jogging to keep up with her friend while they scampered up the start of the trail that would lead to a few different views.

"I just have a lot of energy," Emma breathed heavily, keeping a few feet ahead of Ruby, who was giving her space.

"Ugh, fine," Ruby said, "I see how it's going to be."

"What do you mean?" Emma turned to see Ruby running up to her, her legs bounding ahead of her.

"What?... Ruby… what are you doing?"

"Running… 1) to keep up with you," Ruby said, jogging ahead of her friend and pulling her by the arm up the road, " and 2) because obviously you want to get rid of some energy so let's just do it."

Emma thought about it for a minute, laughing slightly because Ruby had never willing run with her let alone up a mountain on a hot day. But Emma was grateful and she nodded, speeding up the pace and passing back in front of her companion. Ruby was right, she needed more then a hike, she needed even more then jogging even, she needed to sprint out all of this adrenaline, all of the alcohol, all of the bad decisions and recklessness in her body.

"Yes, I need this," Emma said softly but Ruby didn't say anything, just nodding for her to keep going, pushing her even and Emma laughed, feeling that familiar sense of adrenaline in her veins. Ruby ran at Emma's side, both girl's ponytails swishing back and forth with the wind and the twisting and curving of the trail.

Emma didn't know how long they were running for, only that she didn't want to stop until she became too nauseous to handle it. Her feet moved fast though and soon she was passing Ruby, running alone up the mountain with the only sounds being her breath and the crunch of her sneakers on the dirt. It seemed like she was moving forever but she didn't look back, in fact she barely looked forward.

Her eyes seemed mesmerized by the mountain floor, the gravel under her sneakers, and the branches that seemed littered around her. Emma could feel herself losing air but she pushed on anyways, allowing lactic acid to build up in her thighs and cause that unwelcome burning in her body that she knew would inevitably come. But still she pushed on, her breathing coming in as gasps now into her lungs and she looked up to an opening ahead of her. Smiling a little, Emma aimed for the clearing, sprinting through trees and past the barrier between forest and sun. Slowly at the edge of the opening, Emma gasped for air in her untrained lungs.

She had seen this view before, many times in fact, and it was generally a very pretty view, one that made her feel calm and at peace with the world. She usually could sit here in silence and be perfectly content but today she needed to hear her gasps for air, even when they didn't stop. _Breathe Emma Breathe,_ She thought to herself. Emma had her hands on her knees and bent forward looking to the ground for air. Sweat passed down her face and her heart beat heavily in her ear. She barely heard Ruby moving behind her and placing a hand on her back.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asked quietly, rubbing her back but quickly removing her hand at the feel of sweat. "Do you need water?" Emma shook her head. She tried to speak but the words were jumbled, her knees to weak and her breath to uneven to get anything to come out clear.

"I'm...sorry. Just can't breathe," Emma finally whispered, her voice cracking in her throat.

"I mean yeah… but besides that," Ruby tried to joke, laughing softly.

"I'm alright. I just feel… Honestly I just feel like I can't escape the "fucked up teenager" thing, ya know?" Emma said, still breathing heavily.

"Yeah, I get that. Did running help?"

"A little actually," Emma laughed, "But then I'll go home and be a disappointment again to my family and my relationships just like I was to my friends and my… foster families," Emma said quietly, looked away from Ruby and out to the view, pretending to take it all in but her mind was too jumbled to really focus today.

"You aren't disappointing your family. And you aren't hurting Killian if that's what you're worried about Emma," Ruby said quietly.

"I will though."

"And your foster families? Really? They gave YOU up Emma, not the other way around. You did nothing wrong there and you know that."

"I hurt someone there… that's why they gave me back… that's why everyone gives me back," Emma cursed, kicking a small stone so it went off the edge of the cliff.

"You were 6… And as crazy as it seems, you've come a really long way from there," Ruby smiled, walking towards her friend and wrapping her arms around Emma's waist.

"How would you know? You didn't meet me until I was 10," Emma laughed.

"Because there is no way you could've gotten any worse then when you were ten," Ruby laughed back and Emma shoved her off.

"I could still take you down."

"Yeah and you have… MANY TIMES might I add!" Ruby yelled, running at Emma and tackling her to the ground with an ooph.

"Ah! What are you doing… you…you psychopath!" Emma struggled to yell, trying to worm her way out of Ruby's grip.

"Well they don't call me Wolfy for nothing," Ruby raised her eyebrows to Emma and then howled as loud as she could, still laying on top of her friend.

"You're mad," Emma said.

"All the best people are," Ruby winked, finished the Alice in Wonderland quote and kissing Emma on the forehead before choosing to get off of her.

"I'm sorry," Emma blushed, feeling stupid and embarrassed by her sudden outburst of emotion. Thankfully, Ruby just smiled.

"It's okay Emma… Actually no. It is only okay… if you tell me what happened last night," Ruby smirked. Emma felt herself rolling her eyes but she knew it would come out eventually. Besides, she needed someone on her side.

"I did something bad. Something 'disappointing' you might say," Emma put air quotes around the word jokingly but she knew it was true.

"Naturally."

"You can't tell anyone."

"Also naturally."

"I kissed Killian."

"Oh! What?"

"While I was at a bar with Neal."

"What?!"

"And I enjoyed it."

"WHATTT"

"And Ruby I swear I thought he would be the one who couldn't handle it…"

"But?... But it's you. You want him…"

Slowly Emma's face met Ruby's and their eyes locked, Ruby's looking fiercely into Emma's. "Yes," Emma admitted.

"YESSS!" Ruby laughed, her reaction getting a small chuckle in return from Emma's lips.

"No Ruby… This is bad. David had to come get me and…the way he looked at me… I can't hurt him like that," Emma admitted, feeling guilt squirming in her skin.

"Does David know?!"

"No," Emma scoffed, feeling more and more immature as the conversation continued.

"Oh darling, how cliché," Ruby laughed, "falling for the best friend… I'd expect nothing less from you."

"Ruby! I'm serious! What do I do?"

"Well you do what any respectable woman would do," Ruby shrugged, "See how much you can get away with." And with that Ruby gave her a wink and pushed herself up from the dirt floor. Emma wanted to retaliate, still feeling guilty and just as much of a disappointment as usual but Ruby was already running away from her, getting a head start up the hill and for one long moment, Emma kind of agreed with her. Besides, there was no way she could make this any worse right?

* * *

 _I am so sorry this chapter took me so long to put up! For those that are still reading, thank you and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I still have a lot of big plans for this story so don't give up hope. As always, reviews make me happy. Thanks everyone!_


	6. Chapter 6

Killian looked nervously at David, who was eyeing the windows in search of Emma. It was getting dark and she hadn't told anyone where she was going. Killian sat on the couch, Hank's head resting on his lap as they watched the sun fall. He checked his phone again to see if Emma had at least sent him a message but the screen was blank. _As expected._ "I'm sure she's fine, mate," Killian said reassuringly, bringing David back to the conversation.

"Yeah yeah I'm sure she is, too," David said in return, getting up and walking to the table and then back to the couch again, slowly pacing the room.

"Why don't we go do something Dave?" Killian chuckled, watching his friend's fingers tap repeatedly on the table as David walked by it.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea, honestly," David replied, finally returning the look, "Did you have anything in mind?"

"Not really except getting you away from these windows," Killian smirked.

"Well, Mary Margaret is uh… having a fire," David said quietly, scratching at the back of his neck nervously. Killian laughed, shaking his head.

"Yeah yeah, go go." Killian turned his attention back to the grown pup on his lap who was expectantly waiting to be pet.

"No you can come too if you want! It'll be fun," David smiled largely, excitement replacing the worry on his face. The thought made Killian smile to himself. It was nice to see David excited about something… and someone. Who was he to take that away? "Sure, mate," Killian shook his head, "Let's head over."

* * *

Emma grunted, scratching roughly at her legs. "WHY WOULDN'T WE BRING BUG SPRAY!?" Emma moaned, pushing her nails into her skin. She could barely see anything in front of her with the trees shadowing the path. The only light was looming down above her from the moon, leaving traces of light to trickle through the branches. On some aspect, Emma always felt at peace during times like this, when it was just dark enough for the town to get sleepy, and too early for the animals to start howling in the woods. Unfortunately, that time seemed to be about a half hour ago, and the animals were awake and following them.

"What was that?!" Emma squealed, turning her head towards the crack a couple feet to her left. Ruby just laughed, not seeming bothered by the sounds, the bugs, or the darkness. In fact, her eyes just seemed to glow in the dark, and Emma shuddered slightly at them. Everyone always thought Ruby got her nickname from her reputation, but her eyes in the middle of the night, truly glowed like a wolf following it's prey.

"It's so beautiful out here," Ruby remarked, taking her time drabbling through the woods.

"Yeah, just gorgeous," Emma growled sarcastically, trying to ignore the burning bites on her legs. Ruby just snickered in return, leading Emma down the mountain by pulling her over rocks and logs, her legs swerving easily around the objects. Her experienced movements made Emma feel even more disgruntled but she followed her friend, reaching out at times to hold her arm as she dodged things.

"Ruby…"

"Yes?"

"This isn't the path!," Emma yelled, trying to keep her cool as her legs straddled a boulder in the middle of their walk.

"I know," Ruby chuckled, "It's night. The sky is beautiful, the animals awake, and you still can't stop complaining."

"So?"

"So let's stop. Enjoy for a moment." And as if nature was waiting for Ruby's command, the trees disappeared into a clearing where a giant rock hung on the edge of the mountain and, 100 ft below, water stood like glass waiting to be cracked.

"Wow… the sky is… mesmerizing tonight," Emma nodded, looking up at the mass amount of stars that had taken over above them. Even the Milky Way seemed close enough to touch. "I thought it might calm you down a little," Ruby smirked, slinking her arm around her friend and pulling her to her side, "Feel calmer?"

"A little," Emma whispered, "But not quite." Emma gave Ruby a mischevious smile out of the corner of her eye. Ruby's smirk faded instantly. "What are you thinking…" Ruby asked slowly, pulling away to try to read Emma's face. Instead of speaking though, Emma just started to move closer and closer to the edge.

"Do you think there's rocks down there?" Emma asked, nodding to the water below them.

"Yes. Definitely lots of rocks," Ruby warned, her voice aggressive as she approached Emma.

"Nah I think we'd be fine."

"Don't make me do this."

Emma just looked at her friend and pouted. "It's been soo long since we've done something out of the blue!"

"I think YOU'VE done enough for all of us," Rudy laughed.

"I don't mean like that… I mean… with life. Boys come and go… and drinking and parties and college are all coming up and whatever but I mean just us… doing something fun and free and exhilarating… jump with me," Emma held out a hand for Ruby who was just smiling and listening.

"I'm gonna miss you after this summer," Ruby whispered, "I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

"Aw JEEZ I'm only a half hour away," Emma joked, "I don't know why everyone thinks I'm going to forget them."

"Yeah, well…. DON'T," Ruby sniffed, smacking Emma lightly on the arm.

"You'll be okay without me. Better then okay," Emma wiggled her eyeborws at Ruby, still trying to get her to take her hand.

"Maybe I'll join you next year?" Ruby asked hopefully, looking away from Emma's hand.

"Of course…" Emma was a little shocked by Ruby's outburst. She had never talked about college, always talking about traveling first or starting her own business or becoming a blogger.

"Good. I don't want to become boring but I also don't want to lose you to all the cool college kids," Ruby laughed.

"OH please, like anyone could replace you," Emma laughed, realizing for the first time that day, that maybe she wasn't the only one they were doing this hike for.

"Well good because without you… I wouldn't be taking these kinds of risks... like… ugh… jumping off of cliffs." Ruby groaned and reached slowly for Emma's hand who squealed with delight.

"YES! Alright ready 1…2…YOU BETTER JUMP" And the two girls screamed, falling fast towards the dark water, the screams of panic quickly turned to delight as total adrenaline took over. They held hands tightly and held their breath as they plunged into icy water, kicking frantically.

"OH MY GOD IT'S FREEZING!" Ruby shouted, laughing hysterically and shoving Emma who cackled and splashed her friend, feeling totally at bliss. The two of them looked up at the cliff they had jumped from. It didn't seem so high up once they made the jump.

"Thank you," Emma whispered.

"No no, that was awesome… and FREEZING LET'S GO," and with that Ruby dragged her by the arm and pulled her out at the edge of the water, still giggling to each other. The lights from the road were about a half mile away but they could make out their car and sprinted towards it, freezing, hearts beating, but smiling the whole way.

* * *

"You seem distracted," a small voice whispered in Killian's ears, a hand landing softly on his shoulder. Killian looked up from the fire to find Mary Margaret's bright eyes staring back at him. She smiled. The fire had only just started, but everyone had arrived, and mostly, to Killian's blessings, he knew most of them through David. Still he sat alone near the fire, until Mary Margaret had decided he was done being alone.

"Sorry. I guess I have my mind on other matters," Killian blushed, scratching at the back of his neck. He couldn't help but be distracted the past couple weeks with the thoughts of home, David, and a particular blonde haired beauty who made his chest jump. He shook his head, trying to clear the thought away.

"Yes, I guess you must," Mary Margaret whispered, watching him carefully. Killian felt her eyes staring him down and nervously looked around at the others around the fire. They all seemed distracted, each in their own conversations and worlds, even David seemed at ease as he chatted with his friend Robin across the fire.

"Anxious?" Mary Margaret asked, sitting carefully beside him, reading his body language like a book. Killian looked at her, surprised. She was close to him, smiling, but her eyes bared into him as if she was looking into his soul.

"You know, for a small girl, you can be quite intimidating," Killian laughed, looking at the fierceness in her eyes. She laughed back, softening the look just a little.

"Sorry. I like to read people… I've been told I have a mother's instinct about things. I always seem to know what's wrong with people… sometimes even before they do," She smirked, waiting for him to respond.

"And?" Killian chuckled, curious.

"Oh it's not fair though, you're so easy," Mary Margaret smirked, "You're worried."

"Am I?" He rolled his eyes slightly. _Anyone would be worried when this girl was staring at them._

"It's not about me," She continued and Killian looked startled. _How did she.._ "No… you've been hurt… and now you are worried you will hurt someone else…. Killian Jones, you've met someone!" She cheered, clapping in her success at cracking his code.

"What?! No," Killian shook his head, feeling his cheeks flare. Mary Margaret smirked, a giggle hiding behind her tight lips but she refrained, instead just giving a little shrug, like she knew she had found him out.

"Well, like I said, sometimes I can read people before they can. But I know that look. Very well in fact," She added, her eyes flitting towards David before returning to Killian.

"There are many ladies in my life," Killian jested, giving Mary Margaret his classic teasing stare, "Unlike you and prince charming over there, I am not the monogamous type."

"Of course you are. David… well I hope it's okay... but David told me about Milah." Killian's heart twisted. He looked around the fire again. _How many people did Dave tell? Did everyone here know everything about him?_

"He didn't tell everyone if that's what you're thinking," Mary Margaret cut him off from his thoughts, "He only told me because I asked… Not many people come here unless they're trying to escape."

Killian was surprised by her, impressed in fact, at how easily she could read him. "That and to make sure that whoever my dear friend ends up with is worth his time," Killian shot back jokingly. Mary Margaret blushed.

"And?"

"And it seems you two make a very good detective pair," Killian smiled, "It's nice to see him happy with someone. He never really stuck to a girl in Ireland."

This made Mary Margaret blush even more and she stole a glance at David from across the fire. "He is as much mine as I am his. Entirely and fully. And when I look at him... I know… and I know that he knows… that this is real." It was the most honest statement he had ever heard and he nodded at her in approval.

"Did you know with Milah?"

Killian thought about it honestly. "No. I thought I loved her but I was foolish and young. We all make mistakes."

"Yes… we do," She looked at him, opening and then closing her mouth like she was fighting to say something. "I hope you haven't made many mistakes while staying here," Mary Margaret finally said, giving him a small, but mischievous smile.

Killian thought about it, "No. Nothing I regret." And it was true. He didn't regret anything.

"Well that's a relief isn't it?"

Killian nodded at her.

" It's a shame you are stuck at a party… and she is not here."

"What are you…"

"But David is," Mary Margaret cut him off, "Isn't that nice? That David will be here all night? I think so." She smiled at him.

"How did you…"

"Oh please. About half the boys at our Rattlesnake fire were bowing at Emma's feet after her race. None of them were about to fight off David for her, though." Mary Margaret shrugged, looking about the fire, as if what she had said was perfectly normal and pleasant conversation.

Killian opened his mouth, shocked, but all that came out was a small noise of disbelief.

"Like I said. I like to think I'm pretty good at reading people," She smiled, "Now I'd suggest you'd go find her while I am allowing you my help." And with that, Mary Margaret stood and wandered over to David's lap where she slid her arms around his neck and kissed him softly in front of the whole fire. David looked at her, first surprised, then with a face of total joy as he brought his mouth back down to meet hers.

Killian sat for a moment, stunned, but then shook his head. After all, _she was right_. "I think I need to head back, Dave. I…um… well I know the way." He sputtered, David carelessly giving him a wave while his attention stayed on the beautiful woman in his arms. Killian shook his head but headed out from the fire and down back to the house. Sighing and slipping his hands into his pockets as he walked, more determined then ever.

* * *

Emma rang the water out of her hair as she shut the door to the car and waved goodbye to Ruby. Her heart was still pumping fast but the adrenaline had worn off and with it, her energy. She was exhausted and slipped through the front door to head to bed. She was glad for today, glad that she was able to talk to Ruby and maybe become a little less focused on her own problems.

"And where have you been young lady?" Leo scared her. _Nevermind,_ Emma thought. Leo was seated in the living room, a deck of cards in his hands, glasses across his nose, and Hank at his feet. In an instant Hank had jumped up and ran to Emma, jumping onto her and trying to lick her face. "No no Hank! We are MAD at Emma. EMMA did not let us know where she was!" Leo yelled to the dog, who ignored him.

"Sorry… I forgot," Emma blushed, embarrassed at being caught.

"Emma. It's 11… we didn't know where you were. Your mother had to go to sleep so she could get up and open the restaurant in the morning and I stayed up to wait for you."

"Its 11? That's not even late… You didn't have to stay up."

"Of course I did, you're my little girl and I…

"I am NOT your little girl! I am not a little girl at all!" Emma could feel herself boiling with anger but Leo just turned his attention back to his cards. She _detested_ being treated like a child.

"Alright. As you wish."

"That's it? You go from yelling at me to nothing?" Emma looked confused at her father who just gave her a look. She grunted in annoyance and tried to walk past him.

"What's bothering you?"

"It's nothing."

"The thing that's bothering you is nothing? Or nothing is bothering you?"

"The…thing is stupid," Emma rolled her eyes, still annoyed and getting angry again.

"It's not stupid if it's bothering you."

"Oh my god."

"Talk to me," Leo smiled at her then, all anger out of his face and he patted the seat beside him.

"I'm not sitting."

"That's fine."

"Ugh," Emma squeezed her fists together, her parents were so calm it was infuriating. The truth was she had so many things bothering her that she didn't even know where to start. No that was a lie. She did. "I just don't appreciate you telling some random person that I enjoy homemade meals because I didn't get them when I was younger."

"But you didn't."

"That's not the point…"

"Killian is a random person now is he? Hm, too bad. I kinda liked that boy."

"Of course he's not a stranger, I'm just _saying_ I don't like to talk about my past and now he's curious," Emma twirled her hair in her hands, deciding to take the seat her father had offered.

"Honey, you don't need to be embarrassed about your past. I am sorry I said that. I forget sometimes that you don't like it. But you are stronger because your foster family gave you up… in fact, because of that you ended up here. With me and your mom and your brother. And weren't we just the happiest people in the world to be able to have someone as wonderful as you in our lives."

"But… all I've been is a burden," Emma said, and thought, thinking back to all the trouble she had caused not only in the past couple weeks, but in her whole life since she had been adopted.

"Never. You are an adventure. And an adventure worth taking if you ask me," He smiled and Emma shrugged back at him. "Never be afraid of who you are, Emma."

She nodded.

"You're friends love you, Emma."

She could agree to most of that.

"You are courageous and bright and the best daughter I could've asked for."

Emma half smiled, "Would've been better if I was your real daughter."

"Are you kidding? Have you seen David? He is a handsome boy I give him that, but he would have made a horrible girl," Leo chuckled and Emma rolled her eyes at the joke.

"You are perfect the way you are. EXACTLY the way you are," Leo tapped her on the nose with one of his cards and Emma scrunched up her face in return. They sat in a happy silence for a moment. Emma relaxing again.

"And I will be more careful about what I say around Killian," Leo nodded.

"No. Don't be. You're right. He's not a stranger. And… I don't know. Maybe I wouldn't mind letting someone get to know me." Leo looked at her surprised, and this made Emma laugh harder then before.

"YESSS I finally got a real emotion from you!" Emma swung her hand up into the Breakfast club fist and smirked at him, feeling elated.

Leo chuckled heartedly, swinging his own fist at her like she had defeated him. "Darn you and your (no longer a teenager) thoughts!" The two of them laughed and Emma honestly felt better, feeling grateful she had someone as great as Leo in her life to talk to. "Thank you," She whispered, and Leo nodded.

"Ah hum." A cough came from behind the two of them and they both turned to see Killian walking through the front door, seemingly unnoticed by either of them or Hank, who seeked to redeem himself and ran to his side. "Hello, Mr. Swan… Emma," Killian nodded to the two of them.

"Killian!" Leo stood, slapping the boy on the back and sending Hank into another frenzy of person tackle. "Thank god you're here! I'm exhausted. Will you do me the honor of taking my seat or the rest of the evening? I'm sure Emma would much rather enjoy your company to mine," He gave Emma a little wink and whistled to Hank to followed him up the stairs, leaving Emma and Killian alone. Killian nodded to the stairs as Hank disappeared from sight, then took a seat next to Emma.

Emma rolled her eyes, "Sorry about that."

"No no. Don't be," Killian smiled at her, wondering if there was still any leftover tension between the two of them from the past couple days.

"Listen I… I'm sorry I kissed you," Emma started. Killian quickly turned uneasy.

"No! I.."

"No. Let me finish," Emma cut him off, putting a finger to his lips, which he eyed questioningly. But then, he nodded and sat back letting her have the floor.

"I'm sorry I kissed you thinking you were Neal, because I never wanted to kiss Neal. And I didn't know if I could handle kissing you, until I did," Emma sat up and moved herself a little closer to him, "And now… It's all I can think about."

Killian stared at her, a smile creeping across his face. "What about David?"

"David doesn't have to know."

"What about your family?"

"They don't have to know either," Emma breathed, moving herself even closer to him.

"That doesn't seem realistic, love," Killian joked, not being about to pull his eyes away from her lips. He had had a plan to swoop in on Emma and here she was, ruining his plan. And he couldn't be happier.

"Adventures aren't realistic," Emma whispered in return, "But that doesn't mean they aren't worth taking." She waited a moment, as if waiting for him to give her a response, a yes a no. Killian looked into her eyes and nodded, practically frantically, the anticipation eating him from the inside. And then her hands were slipping to his neck and pulling him to her, her lips finding his, soft at first and then needy, like he was giving her air that she didn't know she needed. He breathed into her, pulling her into him with his strong hands and she let him hold tightly. As they kissed, her breasts moved to his chest, and his hands found their way into her tangle of wet hair. She could feel her heart beating, the adrenaline returning to her body only differently this time… better. Like her whole body was on fire with the blood that was beating through her veins. "Emma," Killian whispered, pulling his lips away from hers, only for a second, to find the spot he so desperately wanted to kiss on her neck and she moaned into him. Letting him kiss spots of her she needed to be kissed. That feeling had returned to the pit of her stomach only this time it moved lower, causing her thighs to quiver with want.

She pushed him back, pushing his shoulders towards the couch so she could fling herself over and straddle him between her legs. He looked surprised and then his eyes lit up, watching her body lean into him. She was still soaked, but Killian didn't wonder why, just letting his hands find every part of her that was wet. He slid down her back and up to her neck, and then he looked into her bright green eyes and fell silent to the power of her lips on his. He didn't want to let go.

* * *

 _Right on schedule. Nailed it. Hope everyone enjoyed. Let me know in the comments or feel free to follow and favorite if you like what you've read so far!_


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